Submerged
by dentalfloss
Summary: Lewis was far from and idiot, and Denman was done playing around. She wanted the girls. She wouldn’t stop until she had them. He'd just have to convince her that maybe she was looking in the wrong direction. Zane and Lewis friendship. Also A/U
1. Chapter 1

**Submerged**

**Summary:** Lewis was far from and idiot, and Denman was done playing around. She wanted the girls. She wouldn't stop until she had the girls. He'd just have to convince her that maybe she was looking in the wrong direction.

Who said there couldn't be mermen?

**Rated PG13- **language

**Warnings:** this story will deal with kidnapping, captivity, and torture (though I don't know how much or how detailed it will be yet). It will not be the sweet, happy show that it is on TV. Do not read it if this idea bothers you.

**AN:** The show is great fun, but this story may steer slightly clear of the easy innocence it portrays. I've only seen about five episodes, but I love the concept of merpeople and figured I'd steal a little shot at writing for a while :D I hope you like it!

H2OOOOOO

He watched them carefully, head bowed behind books and big floppy hats to disguise his wandering eyes. How could he not? He had known them a while now, but that didn't mean he was blind to their beauty. How could any reasonable (or unreasonable) man be blind to that? Yet, despite that, it was not the reason he watched them so carefully.

Nor was the fact that he considered himself a scientist, and that their 'condition' was truly something to behold.

Mermaids.

Despite his easy acceptance of that fact, it had taken him a while to truly understand what it had meant. He hadn't always been the most socially aware individual, but even he had eventually understood the issues surrounding their situation. It had been difficult not to be aware after working for Dr. Linda Denman, exploiting bitch that she had turned out to be. And he had determined that about her before she had created a trap to capture the girls in the cave on Mako Island. Hemming them in like trout to be fished out of the water. Ignoring their basic rights as people.

It would have been kidnapping. It would have been exploitation and tests and who knew what else. The men she had hired had been cruel. She had been uncaring. It had opened Lewis's eyes to the true danger his friends faced every day.

And there was the crux of the matter, the reasoning behind all of his covert watching, his sneaky side-long glances: they were his friends, and he loved them very much. He would keep them safe.

Sometimes it was overbearingly difficult to be around them, watching them smile and laugh after a near miss of being seen. Lewis would lean in doorways and laugh gently as they told him about rescuing a dolphin from the nets, or how they had almost swam straight into a group of touring scuba divers. And he would tell them to exercise more caution, and they would promise him they would. Until the next time it _almost_ happened.

Even after Linda had almost captured them they had still been almost careless with their need to swim, with their powers, despite the fact that they needed to lay low and stay off her radar.

So he loved them, and they were his best friends, but they could be trying beyond reason at times. Therefore he had taken to watching them, carefully of course, so as to avoid their suspicions and general mocking of his concern. He couldn't blame them for their aloofness really: they had escaped so many times they no doubt felt invincible, despite their self-concern and awareness.

And now summer would be ending shortly, much too soon as far as he was concerned, and then they would all go their own ways.

He had always been a big advocate for University. Higher education was the key to eradicating ignorance and to provide no end of knowledge to an eager mind. Yes he had been a big advocate indeed, but now he wasn't so sure.

Ricci was going to the other side of the country, maybe even New Zealand.

Cleo was heading to Melbourne.

And Emma, of all people, was staying at home, choosing to accept a job at the local vet clinic until she had made up her mind on what she wanted for a future and not one of them seemed to be worried about this separation. At least not beyond the whole 'I'm leaving my friends and family to head out on my own' feeling of anxiety.

Lewis thought they should stick together, protect themselves, and he had told them that.

They had told him he should get over his obsession with them and get a life of his own. That had hurt, and things had been strained between them the last few weeks because of it. He had even forged ahead and accepted the invitation to join ANU. A full scholarship and living accommodations for his first year (despite everything with the girls he had never believed in forgetting his own studies). Maybe they were right, and he needed to stretch his wings, so to speak. Move beyond the nest. Though that was easier said and done now that his parents had finally split up. He had had much less association with his family then ever before and they had never been overly concerned with his future.

Still, he worried. How could he not? Emma and Cleo and Ricci may have been captured for a brief period of time in the caves on Mako Island, but Lewis was the one who had seen the mock set up for the lab Denman had planned to ship them too on her science boat. He found it much more difficult to forget the fate that she had planned for them.

So he kept an eye on them, be it when he was with them, trying to ignore the new strain to their friendship, or from a distance. Which he was absolutely convinced was not stalking, no matter what the devil on his shoulder whispered into his ear.

It was by keeping an eye on them that he had noticed Dr. Linda Denman's reappearance in Gold Coast. It had made his blood run cold.

She was there 'temporarily' she explained when he confronted her, now towering over her with his newfound height. 'Visiting some old friends.' But he saw her watching the girls, and when he warned them they readily agreed to steer clear of the water until she left again. She had no reason to believe they had regained their powers. She had no reason to watch them so carefully. And he had no reason to trust her.

She was planning something, he knew it, and he could. Not. Allow. It. He _wouldn't_ allow it. So he took matters into his own hands.

It hadn't been overly difficult to discover the secret to the girls transformations into mermaids. Not when he had _all_ the facts (something he had made sure nobody else could get). And it wasn't overly difficult to determine that the best way to keep Denman from his girls, was to give her something new to focus on.

So a few days later, when the moon was conveniently full, and the stars were perfectly aligned, he secreted a boat to Mako Island long after night had fallen.

When his body slipped into the cool water of the cave's pool, the liquid reaching out to swallow him whole, he had a moment of terror unlike any he had ever experienced. His life would never again be the same.

And he sank beneath the surface, as the moons full light danced among the waters ripples.

H2OOOO

Tbc.

Hope you liked it so far!


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Again, I'd like to remind people that I'm not overly familiar with the show, and therefore the characters. If they don't seem to be following canon I apologize. If you have an issue with the way I portray them, then I humbly request that you don't bother reading this story. Other then that, I wish you all the best! Now, on to the next chapter!!_

H2OOOOO

It was another gorgeous day in the Gold Coast, scarcely a cloud in the sky and so hot the ground baked the flesh of ones bare feet. This of course meant that everyone was irritated and snappish and taking refuge indoors, under shade, or in whatever clean body of water they could find. So of course the girls were hiding out in the juice shop, trying to avoid the mob of kids outside that were happily lobbing water balloons at passer-by's.

Zane, of course, was just happy to have a rare afternoon off from the marina, and had celebrated by buying them all their favourites and slouching as low as he could in his rickety wooden chair. Honestly, if he hadn't been coming to this place for years he would have avoided it for its sheer lack of taste long ago. Well, that and the easy atmosphere was a nice change from all the expectations settled on him virtually everywhere he went.

He sank deeper into his chair and took a deep drink from his icy orange juice. This was heaven.

"Honestly Zane, if you sink down any lower you'll be needing a chiropractor for life," Emma rolled her eyes at him dramatically, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and picking at the fruit salad she'd been working on for the better part of an hour. He lolled his head in her direction and smirked.

"You sure you wouldn't want to adjust me yourself Emma?"

"Oh grow up Zane, or I'll do more then _adjust_ you," she snapped back, narrowing her eyes a little as Rikki snorted in amusement beside her.

"I wish you would," he gave her his most charming grin and she glared even more fiercely, before giving up and laughing herself, throwing a grape at his head and missing by about a kilometre. Lord knows she might be a great athlete, but her aim was absolute crap.

"You know, I think the only thing I'm not going to miss is your terrible innuendo," Cleo announced abruptly and he turned to look at her now.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to make a point of visiting you every chance I get," he reached forward and stole a fry off her plate.

"Please don't, I'd like to retain my dignity while away at school," she huffed a suffering smile.

"Please, my presence could do nothing but help you build popularity. One weekend with me around and you'll be the most sought after girl on campus," he sat up and leaned in her direction then, easing the slight twinge in his back from slouching so long. "You'll be beating the crowds off with sticks you'll be so desired."

"Which would be just fantastic considering that she should try and keep as low a profile as possible," Lewis suddenly cut in and then drew up the empty chair beside him and sat down, setting his ever present backpack at his feet.

"Spoil sport," Zane grumbled, but without heat, shifting over a bit to make room for the guy. Lewis looked at him quickly and nodded his thanks before picking up the ragged menu they always kept around and doggedly pursuing it. It was difficult for Zane not to notice how his tall frame hunched over and his shaggy hair fell about his face, partially obscuring his features.

"Hey, have a seat Lewis, join us for a spell," Rikki invited sarcastically, a bite of irritation that wasn't very uncommon for her these days slipping into her tone. Instantly, there was a tension about the table that hadn't been there before, and though Lewis did a great job hiding it Zane saw his shoulders tense behind the menu. He doubted the girls noticed.

"Thanks," Lewis responded, as though he didn't pick up on the sarcasm at all and Rikki rolled her eyes at him before picking up her soda and stirring it with her straw.

"We're not monks Lewis, we're not going to hide ourselves away and miss out on life all the time just because you think we're going to do something as foolish as exposing ourselves," Cleo suddenly hissed, just loud enough for their table to hear only and Zane actually looked at her in shock. Cleo? Really? But the dark haired beauty seemed unaware of his surprise as she glared at Lewis in irritation and the guy finally had the presence of mind to drop the menu and look at them for the first time since he'd arrived.

He had dark, tired bags under his eyes, and for a moment he looked shocked and hurt by her outburst as he stared, speechless back at Cleo. And Zane could understand why. Cleo and Lewis had been friends the longest out of this group. They'd even dated for a while the year before, before deciding that they were better off as friends. Zane had been well aware of the tension between Lewis and the girls the last few months, these last two weeks in particular, but he had had no idea they were this upset with each other.

Lewis looked away, towards the bar and a group of surfer's laughing loudly, than stiffened and quickly ducked his head back to his lap. Zane could see his hand form a white knuckled fist, hidden from everyone else under the table.

Cleo immediately looked regretful, her cheeks flushing with colour despite the fact that both Rikki and Emma seemed more then willing to support her point of view. Ever the pack, Zane thought, shifting quietly in his own seat and waiting to see how this would play out.

"Lewis," Cleo started, remorse clear in her tone but Lewis quickly held his hand up, forestalling any apology she was about to launch.

"No, no. That's alright," he announced, voice unusually flat and guarded. Zane felt a headache coming on as he watched his friend (and over the last year and a half his occasional partner in crime and confidant, despite their differences). Lewis ducked his head again, and then quickly cut his eyes back to the bar before coming to look at the girls once more. Zane frowned and looked towards the bar, the group of surfers, wetsuits half pulled off and dangling at their waists, and a few other people sipping at their drinks; And one man, his clothes pressed and hair carefully styled to look as though he paid no attention to it, carefully sipping at what looked like a coke. Zane frowned at him; he didn't look like he was from around here.

"No Lewis, its no-"

"Besides," he cut her off sharply and pointedly placed the menu on the table with a slap. "It's not like it matters, what with all of us heading off in three days time." He announced, and calmness seemed to fold around him, along with a smug air that was so out of character for him that Zane stiffened in his own seat and the girls narrowed their eyes once more.

"Does this mean you've decided to go off to school then too?" Emma asked carefully, her hands folded calculatingly on the table and Lewis looked at her with a crooked, sour grin.

"I am. I've been accepted to ANU," and he looked pointedly at Rikki then. "Full scholarship."

Zane could not believe he had just said that, and Rikki leaned back like she had been slapped in the face. Hard. Everyone knew she was struggling to be able to afford college. Zane was about ready to jump up and hit the guy himself, except he could still see Lewis's hand beneath the table, clenched white as a ghost and shaking harshly.

What the hell was going on here?!

"You complete and utter ass," Cleo hissed, shock and anger on her face and Lewis looked at her, eyes going wide a moment before shuttering again and he swallowed thickly and shrugged.

"Well, you asked," he pointed out and suddenly Rikki was reaching over and grabbing the small carafe of ice water Zane had asked for what felt like hours ago, her intention to throw it at Lewis very clear.

"Don't!" Lewis hissed sharply, so sharply in fact that several tables nearby instantly stopped their conversation to stare at them and Rikki's hand froze in mid air a moment, before her own temper carried her to picking it up regardless of his warning. Beside her Cleo and Emma had gone silent, wide-eyed and angry. Lewis looked Rikki right in the eye and leaned forward. "Throw that at me, and I'll return the favour."

Cleo went white as a sheet in shock. Rikki's eyes narrowed in absolute fury.

"You wouldn't," she hissed, almost silent and a few people turned back to their conversations, figuring the show was over.

"Try me."

For a long moment, one that Zane thought would permanently suspend them in time, no one moved.

"Leave this table," Emma suddenly announced, her fingers wrapped tightly around each other and Cleo looked close to tears. "Right now." There was absolutely no room for argument in her tone and Lewis, as though suddenly realizing the extent of the threat he had just muttered, stood hastily and grabbed at his bag. Zane did not miss the quick look he sent towards the bar.

"I'm sorry," Lewis muttered, shouldering the pack.

"It's a little late for that now isn't it?" Emma returned, her hard stare not wavering.

"Probably," he had the grace to look ashamed, before sucking in a breath and standing tall. The guy was a good two inches taller then Zane now, and he was using every millimetre to his advantage now as he looked down at the girls. "Just-" he hesitated, the corner of his mouth twitching unhappily before smoothing out. "Just take care of yourselves, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"That'll probably be easier without you around," Rikki bit out sharply. Lewis snorted, his lips curving into a bitter smile. He looked towards the front door, where the kids were still obviously waiting around with their water balloons, and left the restaurant through the kitchen doors, to the protest of the bartender.

"What the hell was that all about?" Zane finally found his voice and looked at them, to see them all in one state of miserable anger, slumping in to comfort each other.

"Who cares? He's an insufferable prat and I'll be glad to never see his ugly hide again," Rikki hissed and Cleo let out a hiccup that sounded closer to a sob.

"Oh come on guys, something is obviously wrong here!" he insisted, leaning closer so they wouldn't be overheard. "That is _not_ the Lewis we know."

"No, it's not. But people change Zane, sometimes for the worst," Emma said sadly, now holding Cleo's hand in support. Zane looked at them, took a breath, and then pushed away from the table to chase Lewis out the kitchen's back door, ignoring the bartender's irritated yell.

The heat outside hit him like a fullback but he ignored it as he stepped out into the busy, sun drenched, street. It wasn't difficult to spot Lewis, already quite a ways down the strip, with his floppy hat and tall frame and Zane took off after him, ignoring the protest of an older couple as he ducked around them.

When he finally caught up he grabbed Lewis by the arm and swung him around, feeling his friend's muscle bunch beneath his hand as he tensed and it took Zane a ridiculously long moment to realize that Lewis was waiting for him to hit him. And apparently he wasn't going to try and stop him. Zane huffed out a couple breaths, shook his head, and looked at the guy. Lewis looked so bloody tired that Zane was suddenly worried he would fall down and pass out any moment.

Lewis watched him back wearily, until it became clear that Zane wasn't going to hit him. Then he shrugged off his hand and turned to continue walking.

"Would you stand still!" He demanded, once again taking a hold of his friends arm and Lewis turned on him, his blue eyes flashing with emotion Zane couldn't decipher. For a moment he thought he saw hints of silver, before he blinked and figured he must have been seeing things.

"What do you want?" Lewis asked, obviously trying to project anger into his tone and failing miserably. Zane coughed out an incredulous laugh.

"What do I want? Are you serious? I want to know what's wrong with you!" He demanded more then asked and Lewis looked away.

"Nothing. I'm absolutely fine."

"You do realize that I practically invented lying, and therefore know when someone else is trying to pull one over on me, right?" he scoffed and Lewis just shrugged, looking away.

"Not my problem if you don't believe me."

"It sure as hell is my problem," Zane insisted. "You just threatened Rikki in there, and don't think I'm not aware that you deliberately provoked them into that absolute farce of a fight. What the hell are you trying to achieve here Lewis?"

"Last I checked fights don't really achieve much of anything, and I hardly think it's any concern. It'll blow over in a few days time," he shrugged and turned to walk away again. Zane stopped him once more.

"It won't, not unless you go back there right now and try to make it right."

"I don't have time right now, sorry," he said insincerely and Zane shook his head in disbelief.

"You don't have time? For three of the most incredible people you will ever know? Three people who you care about deeply and, just let me remind you, have actually risked your own safety for on more then one occasion? You don't have time for them?"

"No. I need to get home and finish packing. I'm heading out tonight and have things to do."

"Tonight?" Zane didn't really know what to say to that.

"Yes, tonight." Lewis sighed then, and looked at Zane. "Look, just take care of them, all right? And yourself. Last thing I need to hear about is you drowning in some ridiculous boating accident or getting hit by a taxi."

"You do realize that we take care of them together right? And who's going to watch my back when you're gone? Who's going to watch yours?"

"Please, as if I've ever needed a caretaker. I'm moving on with my life Zane. I have too much potential to spend my days chasing after three girls who rarely listen to what I have to say in the first place. I want more then that."

Zane stared at him in silence. This wasn't adding up, something about this didn't feel right at all. Then Lewis was turning his back again.

"Don't call me," he ordered over his shoulder. "I'll be too busy to bother answering."

This time Zane didn't stop him from walking away, he just watched him until he disappeared around a corner.

His chest was tight with unease.

When he went back to the airy beach restaurant he sat down with the still fuming girls. They refused to talk about it.

He looked at the bar, and noted that the well groomed stranger was gone.

When he went by that night to call on Lewis his mother had distractedly told him that Lewis had already left, and she couldn't recall how long ago, before closing the door on him and going back to her soap operas.

It was a long, long time before he found him again.

Tbc.

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments! They are all terrific! Unfortunately I don't have the time today to respond to them individually, but I'll try to do that in future chapters! And, you might be glad to know, I've changed the spelling in Rikiki's name to the correct version. Thanks for the heads up on that one! :D


	3. Chapter 3

He'd packed his bags shortly after he got home, his hands shaking from the adrenalin and emotion from his confrontation with the girls. He'd thrown up three times before he'd finished the tedious task, his last bout with the toilet bringing up nothing but bile and the small amount of juice he'd manage to drink after getting home.

He continued to feel nauseous.

He could still feel the imprint of Zane's fingers on his arm, where the guy had gripped him fiercely as he'd tried to understand what was going on.

To be honest, Lewis hadn't expected Zane to follow him. He hadn't expected the other boy to be perceptive enough to determine that something wasn't right with Lewis, and he certainly hadn't expected him to call Lewis on it.

He hadn't given his friend enough credit. He should have been working to alienate him as well as the girls these last two weeks. But it was too late now, and hopefully Zane would just accept that Lewis was an ass and then focus on his own life; and keep the girls out of trouble. It would have been easier if Zane had continued to be the self-absorbed rich kid he'd successfully portrayed his entire life until two years ago.

Regardless, Lewis had pointedly packed two suitcases and his laptop and pulled his bus ticket from under the magnet on the fridge. He'd said goodbye to his mum, who'd just waved him off and told him to have fun at school. His dad had said goodbye last week before heading out to Europe, for who knew how long, on a business trip. And it had been done.

Lewis was almost sick again by the gate to his home, before he'd taken a few deep breaths and put on his _game face_, and headed pointedly to the docks. He needed to be in control for this confrontation. He needed to be sharp, and cunning, and convincing.

He didn't want to be doing this at all. But he had made the commitment, the sacrifice, weeks ago when he'd jumped into the moon pool on Mako Island. He had gone this far and he wasn't about to back off now.

Especially not now that he'd seen Denman's minions spying on the girls even more then usual this last week. There was only one reason she would be increasing the numbers in this game of hers, and that was if she was planning on making a move. It had been hell to sit still, aware of the eyes that watched them. Aware that he had managed to gain more and more of their attention slowly over the last week. It was a victory he didn't want, and needed.

It had a ball of terror lodged in his throat that had been there since the last full moon, one that had been difficult to breathe around.

The suitcases were heavy, packed as full as he could make them, an obvious attempt to take as many things with him to 'university' as possible. Their plastic handles were slippery in his sweaty palms, and their wheels sounded ridiculously loud as he pulled them down street after street. Nobody else took notice of him as he moved along, the heat of the day finally breaking around the supper hour, until he was finally at the marina.

He'd felt eyes on him the entire way, but for once he hadn't been able to determine where they had been coming from. When he hit the dock, noting that there were no employees anywhere to be seen, he moved straight to the far end. To the place where he knew Linda Denman had her massive boat moored, rocking gently on the water as the slowly setting sun bathed it in a soft light.

He paused by its side, sitting his luggage upright carefully and wiping his palms on his knee length khaki shorts. He swallowed thickly as he stared at the big boats rear deck, cases of science equipment securely sealed and stacked were piled neatly all around, along with nets and ropes and a big plastic tub that was no doubt intended to the creatures they captured during their excursions around the waters.

He took a step forward, and then hesitated. Then took a breath and squared his shoulders, preparing to step onto the ship to confront the Doctor once and for all, when a deep, rough voice sounded behind him.

Lewis whirled around in shock, and almost tripped over his own legs as he stared at the well dressed, well muscled man that stood too close for comfort. He hadn't heard his approach at all.

It was the same man he'd seen following him around these last few days. The one that had witnessed his argument that afternoon with his friends. Lewis swallowed nervously and then pulled on a veneer of self-confidence that he didn't feel at all as he addressed his stalker.

"I'm here to see Dr. Denman," he announced, and crossed his arms, before uncrossing them, and then crossing them again The man stared at him a long moment, his lips twitching every now and then.

"You have an appointment?"

"No, but it's important, and I'm sure she's always eager to speak with me," Lewis tried on an air of cockiness and the man smirked at him, dark green eyes cool as he watched him.

"You think you have something she'd care to hear? She's a busy woman, after all."

"Yes well, she usually makes time for me," he stammered.

"Quit playing and let him on Gil, we don't have time for this crap," another guy called out and Lewis looked beyond 'Gil' now to see another man, dressed in what was probably Denman's current crew uniform of blue shirt and tan pants. He'd been blocking the only dry exit off the dock for Lewis and he hadn't even noticed. His alarm must have been obvious as Gil actually smirked at him before gesturing toward the small ship. Lewis bit at his lip and looked pointedly at his bags.

"You'll keep an eye on those for me right? I'll need them when I'm done here," he announced.

"Sure kid," the other guy assured him as he stepped up to join them and Lewis finally turned to climb onto the ship, aware that the only people around watching him do so, were the two men currently flanking him. It wasn't difficult to appear uncertain as he stepped onto the decking, and then moved to the cabins stairs and into a surprisingly large room. The only light coming from tiny portholes and the open door.

He froze as two other men in the blue and khaki uniforms looked up at his arrival.

"Get the good Doctor for us Will? This boy here wants to speak to her," Gil announced in his deep voice and placed an overly warm hand on Lewis's shoulder, pushing him further into the room. Lewis shrugged off the hand and stepped away from him, pointedly glaring his distaste but the guy seemed unfazed from the look, his lip curled in a faint grin as he stood and pointedly blocked the door.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," a melodious, feminine voice carried to his ears and Lewis spun around, still aware of Gil at his back, to look down at Dr. Linda Denman for the second time in as many weeks. She smiled up at him pleasantly enough, but there was a calculating coolness in her gaze that, as usual, always put him on guard when he was around here these days. He crossed his arms and tried to adopt a stern look. He found it easier to master it now, being eighteen and well past his awkward, lanky stage.

"Is it really?" He asked, letting his disbelief show and she smiled, shaking her head at his gall.

"I suppose not." She agreed pleasantly enough, before picking up a bottle of water and taking a casual drink from it. He shifted uneasily on his feet, eyeing it a moment before pulling his gaze away. She watched him carefully as she finished, licking at her lips. "So, what is it that you feel the need to discuss this time Lewis? I do hope it's not more of the 'same-old same-old'" she waved her hand in a few tiny circles.

"If by 'same-old' you mean me telling you to leave the girls alone, then I'm afraid it is."

"How valiant of you," she said dryly and he glared at her harder, trying to show her with body language how serious he was.

"They have nothing you want and you know that," he insisted and she nodded in general agreement.

"Yes, you said as much a few weeks ago and, just like then, I'm well aware that they gave up their mermaid abilities the last time we all met."

"You make it sound like we all went out for a pleasant meal," he snapped at her, not bothering to control his disgust. "Not like you tried to kidnap them and turn them into lab pets."

"It was wrong of me to do that," she declared, but it was easy to read the insincerity in her tone. "And I'm well aware of the situation I forced them into, giving up their powers like that," and there she did sound somewhat regretful.

"So why are you still following them around everywhere? If you know that they're no longer mermaids then you should just leave them alone! Let them get on with their lives!" He insisted, and then watched warily as she picked the water bottle up again and took another drink. He was well aware of her watching his reactions carefully as she drank and he quickly averted his gaze, making it look like he was trying to not be concerned about it. She swallowed and then shook her head at him, somewhat incredulous.

"Lewis, who said it was them I was watching?"

"What?" he asked and it wasn't difficult to put sudden apprehension in his voice. "Of course you were watching them," he insisted, and darted his eyes to note that the two people who had been down here when he'd first arrived, had moved a bit closer to him. He frowned at them.

"Well, yes, at first," she admitted with a tiny shrug. "I really did have research to do in the area and checking in to make sure they hadn't regained any of their underwater abilities wasn't exactly out of my way. You, an aspiring scientist, should be well aware that you recheck your data as many times as possible before coming to a final conclusion."

"I'm glad to hear you'll let them get on with their lives then," he announced, and then tried to stand even taller in her presence, which didn't do much since he was practically on the tip of his toes as it was. "Well then," he gave her a weak smile, "I guess I'll be on my way then," and he turned to find Gil still blocking the doorway, and the other man from outside sitting on the only steps into the room just behind him. He glared at them. "Excuse me," he said and made to move forward, but Gil just crossed his big, ropey arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to try and get by.

So. It was time then, for all his planning to come together. The last two weeks of sleepless nights and sick fear all boiled down to this moment. They were on to him, and Denman finally had a new target to take her obsessive attention off of Cleo and Rikki and Emma. Which basically left him with the only two options he had known this would come down to: try to escape and lead them on a merry chase for a long time to come, or fail in escaping and become their newest pet project.

He'd never been one to take things lying down.

He turned back to Denman, narrowing his eyes in anger.

"What is this? Our talk is over, I've said what I wanted. Now, let me go, I have a bus to catch."

"That's right. ANU on a full scholarship, that's very impressive."

"Yes," he puffed out his chest, "and I have a special pre-orientation tomorrow afternoon that I can't miss, he looked pointedly back at Gil and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes, "so if you don't mind, I'd like to leave now."

"Lewis," she shook her head at him, her eyes cool and calculating. "Did you really think that we wouldn't notice?" She asked, her tone condescending as she watched him and he tensed even further.

"Notice?" He took a careful step away from Gil and the stairs, but by now the other two men had stepped much closer and there wasn't a lot of room left for him to move to. "Notice what? There's nothing to notice I'm sure," he glanced around for something he could use as a weapon if he needed it, and came up empty handed. He balled his hands into fists instead. "Let's not do anything hasty here," he tried to keep the fear out of his voice, "I don't know what you think you've 'noticed' but I guarantee it's nothing interesting. I just want to head off to school."

"It was stupid of me to have never properly checked it in the past. I suppose that was a shortcoming on my behalf, and of course I realize that you probably didn't receive your own transformation until after the first time we met-"

"Transformation?" he barked out a sharp laugh and his back hit the wall, his shirt sliding against the nautical maps. "Are we talking puberty here? Because that definately happened before we ever met."

"Don't talk to me like an idiot Lewis, we've been watching you these last few days and your rather obvious avoidance of water was a very telling sign. Of course," she held the water bottle out towards him, "you could just pour a little on you hand, prove to us that we're wrong and we'll let you head off to school, no harm no foul." He instinctively shied away from the water in her presence, and then cringed at her delighted laugh.

"Linda, don't do this," he pleaded and she shook her head at him, finally growing tired of this game she was playing and nodding to one of her men. He turned to look in their direction just in time to get a bucket full of water right in his face. He reared back in panic, already feeling the brilliant, sharp tingle begin to spread through his entire body as the transformation began to take place. His back hit the wall again and he lunged to the side, taking a desperate step even as his legs turned numb on him and then he was crashing loudly to the ground with a yell.

"Don't let him get hurt!" Denman snapped out as she stood back and he saw Gil and another man lunge towards him. He swung wildly with his fists, satisfied when he connected solidly with one of them and they grunted in pain. For a brief instant his vision went white and he felt his eyes roll up on him as warmth flooded his entire body. Then he blinked, still on the ground, and looked up to find them all staring down at him, their eyes wide with astonishment even though they had been expecting exactly this.

He tried to use their amazement to his advantage and he reached out to grip at the tables bolted down leg, and pulled himself a little further from them, trying and failing to use his fin to help push him along. The bloody thing was useless out of water.

One of the men stepped towards him and he instinctively kicked out, and was somewhat shocked when he connected and the man gave a sharp cry as he was swept off his feet. Lewis dragged himself another half meter away before he heard the sound of someone stepping around the table to cut him off and he looked over his shoulder to see Gil standing there, rope in his hand and a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Don't do this! Please," he begged now, knowing that his chance to escape was gone. He looked up at Denman, but she was completely unmoved by his plea, staring down at him in utter glee.

"Cut off those pants and get rid of that awful shirt," she ordered immediately. "I want to see him." Before he could move the man he'd knocked down had practically sat on his tail, pinning it and then two more people had his arms in strong grips. He tried to thrash, tried to get loose but he knew it was useless.

It was Gil who crouched down beside him, a shining knife in his hand and Lewis went very still as he brought it close to his flesh and slipped it under the waist of his now ruined shorts. With one material leg lying limp and empty beneath him and the other completely split up the side, unable to accommodate the width of his fin, it was only the work of one cut before the light material was pulled away and his shirt was roughly torn off his body. He felt completely naked in a way he'd never experienced before, exposed in a way he'd never imagined and then they were lifting him bodily off the ground.

To his horror they moved him only high enough to place him on the now bare table in the centre of the room, displaying him even more fully. He struggled again, and even managed to get one arm loose briefly, taking a wild lunge to roll off its surface before his limb was recaptured and pinned down. A rope was carefully slipped over his neck, and the pressure over his windpipe as it was pulled tight had him freezing in place immediately. His chest rose and fell with each panicked breath.

"There we go," Gil's deep, satisfied voice rumbled above his head. "No more struggling now Lewis, you understand?" He asked softly and Lewis forced back tears and tried to take calming breaths. The hands on his flesh loosened but didn't let go. For a long moment there was absolute silence.

"You are absolutely magnificent Lewis," Denman said softly, and he jerked as she gently lay a hand at his waist, right where skin became scale. He didn't say anything and she trailed her hand down slowly, feeling. He shuddered.

He tried to control his disgust and fear.

This was his goal (sort of). Him being here. Not the girls. Never them. Him. He could do this.

He wanted to throw up but there was nothing left in his stomach.

He knew what he looked like, his tail was strong, smooth. It fluctuated between being black, a deep blue, and a gunmetal silver that could catch any angle of the suns rays. Right now he was mostly black, just the silver pebbled into the dark, scaly flesh and he could feel his fin hanging off the table, angling towards the ground in humiliation. Then someone touched it, and he jerked reflexively and fanned it out instinctively, making it large and intimidating and this just seemed to thrill them all even more as they grabbed at it and held it up gently to inspect it closer.

"Easy there little guppy," Gil breathed out quietly behind him, briefly adding more pressure to keep Lewis under his control, as if Lewis could forget who was in charge here. He swallowed convulsively and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see them.

"Look at his elbows," one guy said, and lifted the arm he held to display the fin that ran up the back of it from above his wrist to his tricep. He made sure to keep the thing tucked in tight as the guy pulled at it, trying to spread it away from his body.

"Leave it for now," Denman ordered and he complied immediately. "Roll him, I want to see his back. You're doing very well Lewis," she added on, as though her gentle encouragement would make this seem less abusive. He was turned to his side, hands pressing in and the table cold and hard beneath him as they examined the fin that began at the base of his neck and didn't stop until his tail started. He tucked it in tightly, using all the still unfamiliar muscles he could to hold it in place.

"Will you let us see it?" She asked gently.

"Fuck you," his hissed at her through clenched teeth, breathing hard through his nose. There was another long moment of silence before he was rolled back onto his back. He kept his eyes firmly closed and his head turned away.

"Please try to understand Lewis, we're doing this in the name of science. One day what you tell us, what you are, could help millions of people." He said nothing, just clenched his teeth harder, and she sighed.

"Put him in the large tank in the back room and fill it halfway. Bind his hands for now and make sure someone is watching him at all times. Remember he's smart, and I will not lose another opportunity like this because we haven't thought everything through."

"His bags are on board Doc," one of the men announced, "and we're clear to launch."

"Great, we'll be at the lab by tomorrow night, and then we can work on getting him into a more secure holding area."

"Won't they be worried about him disappearing?" Another asked and Lewis could practically feel her shaking her head as she gently placed a hand on his chest. He flinched under its coolness.

"After the way he left his friends I doubt they'll wonder for a while yet, and by the time they do they won't know where he's gone, and his family probably won't expect to hear from him for months. We'll send a letter to the university in the morning, declining his acceptance." She paused and brushed a hand through his damp hair. "You probably had no idea how well this had been set up for us when you woke up this morning hm? Poor thing."

He growled at her. He hadn't even known he could growl.

"Dr. Rickman? How about we give him something to help him rest now, he could probably use it," she ordered and it was only a minute later that he felt a pin prick his arm. The last thing he was aware of were the hands on his body, lifting him gently to carry further into the bowls of the ship.


	4. Chapter 4

Three months. He had enlisted in the academy for three whole months before he'd decided it really wasn't his thing. Which had been unfortunate, because it had actually appealed to him initially, and he'd made some fantastic friends along the way. But when it came down to it, he wasn't very good at taking orders. Which was basically what his dad had said when he'd announced that he was going to become a police officer.

Well, he'd been right. The problem was that Zane felt that was the direction he wanted to go in for a career. He wanted to help people. He just didn't want others to tell him how to do it. Which of course led him moving back to the Gold Coast, but thankfully his dad had agreed with him when he'd decided he needed a place of his own and had more then willingly provided him with a sweet little two bedroom deal of his own. Right on the water. It probably had something to do with the mans new girlfriend, but Zane was far from complaining.

Emma had been there to help him with the move, but she was seeing some new bloke now and didn't really have much time to hang out. Cleo and Rikki had said they'd come by next time they were in town, but they were completely swamped with end of semester projects and couldn't tell him when that would be.

That being said, it was a busy few days of emptying boxes and catching up with a few old school mates before he found himself sitting down to his computer and looking up the number for ANU. He hadn't really found the time to try and call Lewis since his last attempt, which had been a few days after the big blow out between him and the girls.

Which was still apparently a taboo topic among their little, separated, group.

Whatever. Zane hadn't been able to get a hold of him then, something about the dorms phones not being set up properly so they couldn't find his name in the system yet. He'd been meaning to try later that week, but then his own courses started and he just lost track of time.

"Yes hi," he answered when the university's dorm operator answered the line. "Could you put me through to Lewis McCartney?" He waited a moment until the woman came back on the line.

"I'm sorry, but there doesn't seem to be anyone registered to that name," she announced and he sat up in surprise.

"Are you sure? Lewis McCartney. He's a freshman this year."

"I'm sure sir. He's not in our system."

"But he has to be," Zane frowned to himself. "He had a full ride, the school was putting him in residence." He insisted. There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"I don't know what to tell you, he's not here. Are you sure you have the right university?"

"Yes of course I have the right school," he insisted. "Look, could you put me through to registration instead?"

"Of course, hold the line please." And from there he just got more and more confused. Of course all they would tell him was that he'd declined his initial acceptance to the school months ago. Which apparently had disappointed them greatly, as they'd been looking forward to having him as a member of their fine establishment. Zane hung up on them without saying thank you and stared at the phone in his hand. Then he dialled Lewis's family, only to have them tell him to call back at Christmas, because they doubted they'd hear from Lewis before then. And they'd hung up on him before he could tell them anything. They hadn't picked up when he'd called them right back.

Christ, Lewis's family was far worse then his own. No wonder the guy had never offered to introduce any of them to his folks.

Which didn't help him find Lewis, and that unease he remembered feeling all those months ago when Lewis had initially started picking fights with them, tt was back now, and digging deep into his chest. He needed to find Lewis then

Right. That should be easy. And then he'd give the ass the chewing of a life time.

H2OOOO

He pressed himself deep into the corner of the tank and crossed his arms, hunching over on himself trying to preserve heat. The water was absolutely freezing, to the point that his fingers were numb and it made the still healing wounds on his back ache terribly.

He'd given up banging on the glass to get there attention an hour before, because it had become fairly evident that they were going to ignore him until they were finished whatever test they were hoping to accomplish this time. All Lewis knew, was that the water felt like ice, and it was more difficult to absorb oxygen in these temperatures, and he'd been slowly growing more and more lethargic as his shivering had increased.

A loud slap cut through the water and he jerked in surprise, his elbow smacking into the glass behind him and he grunted. Then peeled his eyes open, blinking to clear his vision.

"What?" he snapped as he looked past the glass to see Denman standing there, arms crossed and frowning at him. He closed his eyes again and wished his back would stop hurting so much. It had been three damn weeks since the accident. How long did it take for a few cuts to heal?

A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, fingers curling around to wrap under his armpits and so hot on his skin they felt like fire. He reacted violently, twisting out of the grip and kicking his fin hard, trying to propel himself away before realizing that there was barely enough room in the tank to move as it was. So he flattened himself to the glass bottom, only a few feet underwater in the shallow tank, but the hands were back, and as always, they had multiplied.

He didn't resist this time, his initial shock over as they pulled at him until he was breaking the surface, and then they easily hauled him onto an awaiting gurney and quickly strapped him in. He squirmed, the hard surface just as uncomfortable as the tank had been, and then Denman was beside him, putting her hand gently on his chest, her fingers spread out.

He cut his eyes to her sharply, hoping they portrayed his disgust, before his burst of energy left him and his head dropped onto the gurney with a thud. She frowned down at him.

"How do you feel Lewis?"

"Are you serious?" He slurred, half laughing at the absurdity of the question.

"I know this is unpleasant Lewis-"

"You know fuck all" he hissed. She continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"But if we don't do these tests we won't get the information we need, and we'll have to do them again."

"How about you grow a conscience and don't do them at all?" he muttered, only to be ignored again. He was so tired.

"So tell me how you feel." She ordered and, as if on cue, he felt Gil's hand land on his arm and squeezed warningly.

"I can tell you, with relative certainty, that I'm a tropical fish," he jerked his arm to try and dislodge Gil's heavy hand. "Can we skip the arctic water now? I'd like to keep feeling my flesh."

"Sure Lewis," she answered instantly, no promise in her tone whatsoever. "Get his weight and measurements then follow through with the usual tests." A hard tube was shoved into his mouth to get his O2 reading and they were already hooking up monitors for his heart. He realised with despair that they'd probably want to do this all over again, but with monitors invasively attached next time.

She removed her hand from his chest and he breathed easier, and firmly kept his eyes clenched shut so he wouldn't have to see them, with their clipboards and clinical eyes as they did what she bid. Bastards, the lot of them.

Complete bastards. To think that she had almost had not one, but all three of the girls…he ground his teeth at the thought.

He had saved them, not in the most lucrative way for himself, but he had save them and that was enough. For now it had to be.

But he wanted to go home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** This chapter makes reference to possible sexual abuse (amongst everything else). It is non-graphic and very small, but it is there. You have been warned.

H2OOOO

Leaving the police station for the third time in as many days Zane collapsed on a bench with a huff. He resisted the urge to walk up to the nearest tree and bash his head against it, but only barely. He was so frustrated that he wanted to just stand up and scream, however, being in front of the local station it probably wasn't the best of ideas. Especially as he'd frustrated a few of the officers in there to the point that they'd probably throw him in jail for the night just for twitching awkwardly.

He sighed and let his head fall back.

This was another reason he hadn't made it in the academy. Aside from not taking orders well, he hated the idea of turning away people who needed help because of 'technicalities.' Technicalities!! His friend was missing and first off he couldn't file a missing person's report because the local police had contacted Lewis's family and his family had disagreed that Lewis was missing. Without actual family concern apparently the police were unwilling to do anything, having too much work to burden their overloaded shoulders with already. The second thing being that Lewis, having moved out from home to go to school, was considered as living in a different policing district altogether. And _that_ district was unwilling to search because a) Lewis's family denied he was missing and b) There was no real record of Lewis being there in the first place which effectively tied their hands.

The number of hateful things Zane could say to Lewis's family for being so selfish and short-sighted were reaching unlimited proportions. Unfortunately they had threatened to call the police on Zane if he continued to contact them insisting that Lewis was missing. It was a bloody maddening circle. Even Zane's contacts through the academy couldn't do anything until he had more evidence. It all came down to bloody evidence. It was maddening.

"Any luck?" His dad asked, as he took the empty spot on the bench beside him. Zane cracked an eye open and looked over at him in surprise.

"Dad?" he asked, and made an effort to sit up and face the guy, confused. "How'd you know I was here?" He asked, and his dad gave him one of his patent looks. This one said: _You really don't know that? I thought you were smarter._ Zane bristled but kept his temper in check.

"Wilson gave me a ring. Said you've been hounding the officers at the front desk three days running now," his dad explained anyway, and looked out at the ice cream parlour across the street. Zane sighed. He should have known his dad would know what he was up to; the man had ties everywhere in the community. "So," his old man cocked an eyebrow, "are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Wilson didn't already tell you?" Zane answered immediately, and then grimaced at the look his dad gave him, feeling like a child again. Which he supposed he was acting like at the moment. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes before flopping his sunglasses into place over them. "A friend of mine's gone missing, and I'm trying to track them down."

"One of the girls?" his dad asked instantly, concern apparent in his voice and Zane looked at him with a frown.

"No, they're all fine," he told him. "Is there a reason I should be concerned for them?" He asked carefully, and his dad shook his head negatively.

"No, not that I'm aware. It's just that, after that time I almost handed them over to science, I've been concerned for their well-being. It became abundantly clear to me, a little to late after the fact, that I would never wish the existence I was going to place them in on anyone."

"So that's what this concern is now? Dated guilt?" Zane asked, because he was well aware that his dad had been trying to apologize (in his own unique way) for that ever since. They'd all decided long ago that it was water under the bridge.

"It's not concern really. I just wanted to know if something was wrong. We don't get a lot of chances to talk these days, what with you having a place of your own now."

"Yeah, I guess." Zane shrugged and sat back in his seat. He'd only been in his place for a little over two weeks now. He still had boxes of things piled against the walls to be unpacked. It hadn't been on his mind much these last few days.

"So who's gone missing then?" His dad asked, which brought Zane's worry right back to the foreground.

"Lewis. McCartney," he added his last name on to make it clear.

"He was that tall bloke you hung out with right? The blond one who liked to fish?"

"Yeah," Zane snorted a little laugh. "Him. He was supposed to head off to university over three months ago now, and he never showed up. His family refuses to agree that he's missing and as far as I can tell there's no trace of him.

"Didn't you all have a big blow up just before school started?" His dad asked and, at Zane's look, he shrugged. "I hear things, especially in relation to you. Was it true?"

"Yeah, sort of. He was acting weird for a few weeks before then. I remember thinking there was something off about him, but that he was hiding it. And he was saying things that would make the girls furious with him."

"Did he say things to you?"

"Not so much, but I have a thick hide," he grinned a little and glanced sideways at his dad to make his point. "The point is he was acting strange, and then instead of going off to school he disappeared."

"Maybe he went travelling?"

"Without telling anyone?" Zane didn't think it was reasonable.

"How much do you really know about him?" his dad asked and at that Zane had to pause and consider. He knew Lewis was brilliant, and fiercely loyal to the girls (or he had been up until those last few weeks). He enjoyed fishing and boats and such, and he had a sharp, witty tongue when he wanted to, which is probably why Zane had finally gotten around to liking him. Zane had thought they'd known each other well, especially as they'd gotten on fine after a year or so of working around each other. But now he wasn't so sure, especially not after meeting the guys family.

"I know enough that I doubt he'd just pick up and disappear," he concluded firmly, and felt that he truly believed that to be the case. Whatever secrets Lewis might have, he wasn't someone who would desert them easily.

"So you're going to keep looking then?" His dad asked and yeah, of course he was. The look he gave his father must have been enough of an answer because the man held his hands out in submission.

"Easy there, I was just asking. What's the girls stance on this?" He asked, and Zane's gut churned at the thought.

"They don't have one yet," he replied and his dad snorted.

"If you don't think it's serious enough to tell them, then I doubt you really believe Lewis is in trouble."

"It's not that," Zane instantly defended himself, glaring heatedly at his dad, and then glaring at the woman who looked about ready to sit in the empty space on the bench just beyond his father. She quickly decided to find a seat elsewhere. "It's just-" how could he explain why he hadn't told them he thought Lewis was in trouble yet, when he wasn't really sure himself. "I don't think they should be involved in this," he decided, and at his dad's look pressed on. "It's not that I doubt they'd be a great help, because they would be, but I just don't feel right about involving them. My gut is telling me to leave them out of this."

"You're gut?" his dad said sceptically.

"And maybe the fact that Lewis was trying too hard to push them away before he disappeared. Look, it's not a perfect theory, and as I've been told countless times already I have no proof that he's even missing."

"Other then the fact that you can't find him."

"Yes." He quickly agreed with his dad. They sat in silence for a few long moments.

"Do you have _any_ leads?" His dad finally asked and Zane felt a flood of relief that, while his dad might not completely believe that Lewis was missing at this point, he was willing to hear Zane out. It was something.

"The only thing I could possibly think of," he dropped his voice and his head, in case any one where near enough to eavesdrop, "is Dr. Denman." He hissed out and his dad looked at him in surprise.

"Linda Denman?" he asked and at Zane's nod he frowned even more. Because he knew, as well as Zane did, that Denman was far from the honest, sweet woman that most people saw her as. "What could she possibly have to do with Lewis's disappearance?"

"I don't know. All I know is that she was around the time Lewis disappeared. Hell, Lewis even told us on several occasions to keep an eye out for her, despite the fact that she doesn't still know the girls are…the way they are."

"And when she left…"

"It's a thin lead dad. I know Lewis has a past with her, and that it isn't the easiest of pasts, but I don't know what she'd possibly need him for, or why he'd ever consider going anywhere with her. He's made it clear more then once that he despises her."

"It is a thin lead," his dad agreed, but he was wearing his thoughtful face now, rubbing his chin with his hand. "I'll look in to where her base of operations is now. I haven't had anything to do with her since…that time. But I know people in the business who can tell me where she is, and then I'll let you know."

"Thanks dad," Zane slumped a little in relief. He had his own connections, of course, but his dad's were better and wider spread. Money helps with that, and while Zane was far from poor (especially after having investing much of the money his father had given him over the years while spending nothing but his fathers own money), he had yet to make a real impression on people within the community. Clearly he was going to have to change that if he ever wanted to get things done in this town.

"Zane," his dad started and he looked over to see him looking as though he was actually struggling for words. He didn't have to say anything though, the look on his face said enough for him.

"I know dad," Zane cut him off instead, and turned to stare at the ice cream parlour another minute, before abruptly pushing to his feet. "I'll see you later," he called out and then he was moving away quickly, in case his dad decided to try and say what was written all over his face anyway.

Zane was all to aware of the fact that Denman might have absolutely nothing to do with this. Anything was possible in the world these days, and Lewis could be missing for an insurmountable number of reasons. Running away, alcohol, drugs, money, kidnapping, rape, murder…it wasn't worth thinking about. Zane refused to believe that it could be something so horrible could have happened to Lewis, he trusted the guy to have enough street smarts to not get kidnapped or killed.

Still. He'd been missing for a long time.

Zane shook his head. No, his disappearance was too neat, too planned. Zane wouldn't give up on him. He'd find the idiot if it was the last thing he did.

H2OOOO

He sat on the starched white sheets of his cot, leaning against the wall with his legs pulled into his chest, glaring at a spot on the opposite wall. It was one of the rare occasions that they let him out of his fish form, giving him hospital scrubs to wear like it was a gift and not a right to have clothes. This room that they usually shoved him in was no better then the tank though, despite the fact that he at least had a layer of material between him and their hands. Because while it was a room, one of the walls was a massive mirror, and you'd have to be completely brainless to think that people weren't on the other side, watching him whenever they felt the urge.

But he'd been in here two days now, because the cuts on his back hadn't been healing properly in the water and they'd decided that the air was better for him. His skin felt dry. He'd much rather be outside, sitting on a rock and baking in the sun then being locked away in this sterile environment.

"It's been long enough don't you think Lewis?" Denman asked from her chair, seated only a few feet from his cot with her legs neatly crossed and her back straight. Behind her shoulder Gil stood, ever present and silent and Lewis was weary of the fact that he was so close. Of all the people here, he hated that man even more then he hated Denman. As far as he was concerned that was saying more then enough about his character.

Lewis swallowed thickly but didn't answer.

"Oh come now," she uncrossed her legs and sat forward in the chair. Lewis couldn't help instinctively shrinking away, pressing closer into the wall and pulling his legs tighter into his body to protect himself. It was ridiculous, she was a small women that he would easily be able to overpower if he really wanted to. But Gil was another story, and while Lewis thought he might have a chance against that man one on one, there were always people around to step in and help him. Still, she watched Lewis's reaction and sat back with pursed, unhappy lips.

She sighed, as though the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.

"Lewis, I understand how miserable you are here I really do. I would love to make it more comfortable for you, but you keep trying to escape and we can't have that." He'd almost succeeded too, on two separate occasions. He choose to remain silent, but he did grace her with a look of disgust before focusing back on the wall.

"Things might be less unpleasant if you co-operated a little more," she insisted, like a broken record and this time he kept glaring at her when he looked her way. "Look, I just want to know what your power is," she insisted imploringly. "I will found out eventually, you can't hide it from me forever and it is in everyone's best interests if you just tell me."

"It's in your best interests you mean," he said through clenched teeth. "I fail to see how my telling you that will benefit me in any way." He challenged her, his eyes cutting quickly to Gil as the man shifted behind her, but remained at his post.

"The sooner we know everything we can about you, the sooner we can get you out of here." She said it with such insistence too, but he knew that 'out of here' meant to a different lab, or maybe some private aquarium somewhere. He'd heard some scientists talking about how much money they could make off of selling him to rabid exotic fish collectors. Tens of millions they'd estimated. Sadly enough, it was probably true.

"I can't help you," he said instead, and saw her eyes flash in anger. One thing he'd learned over the months was that she had little patience.

"Lewis-" she started in her disapproving school teachers voice. The voice that, last time she'd used it, had ended up with people holding him down and taking bodily fluid samples from him. Samples he would never have voluntarily given up, which had involved hands in places he never, ever wanted anyone's hands without his consent. He wouldn't be forgetting the humiliation and degradation of that experience anytime soon, which had maybe been part of her point.

"I don't know!" He cut her off, edging away from her in spite of himself. "I do not know what my powers are," he insisted with a softer voice and her eyes narrowed in contemplation. "I probably don't even have any," he added for effect.

"I don't believe you," she retorted and he resisted rolling his eyes, because of _course_ she didn't believe him. Why should she, it's not as though she's given him any reason to trust her.

"There's nothing I can do about that," he sniped back.

"All three girls exhibited some form of power when they had been mermaids, and it stands to say the same should apply to you."

"Well it doesn't," he insisted. "I don't know what else to tell you. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm a guy. Maybe male merpeople don't get _powers_ or gifts or whatever it is you want to call it. How should I know? All I can tell you is that I don't have any powers!" The sad thing was that it was true. Up to this point he hadn't discovered a single ounce of special skills within himself. He couldn't evaporate water or make it rain or control lightening or anything like that. Honestly, the only thing he could say was remarkably different about him from the girls, was that his tail was exceptionally strong.

But they were already aware of that. It had been hard to ignore when, weeks ago, his temper had gotten a hold of him while he'd been forced, once again, into a massive glass tank. It hadn't even taken an overly powerful kick of his tail to the glass to actually shatter the thing. It had cracked, and splintered and then burst wide open in a matter of seconds, spilling out the water and himself all over the floor. He would have been more thrilled at the discovery and consequent ruin it caused, except when he'd been poured onto the floor the tanks sharp edges had spared his back no mercy.

He hadn't really been aware he could bleed so much.

It was perhaps the only time the scientists around him had ever tried to help him with something, namely saving his life. Regardless of the fact all the glass had been quadrupled in thickness and some tanks were even made of stainless steel now, with nothing but little portholes for viewing purposes.

"Look, if it hasn't become clear by now, if I'd had powers I probably would have used them to get out of this place. Which means you'd know about them."

"I will find out of you're lying to me Lewis," she purred at him, and then stood swiftly, moving towards him. He was off his cot and backing up into the corner before she could take two steps. She froze at his reaction, however, her gaze drifting to his clenched fists a moment before tossing her blonde pony tail over her shoulder and turning to head out of the only door instead. "I'll see you in the morning Lewis. Try and get some rest, we've got a long day tomorrow."

The second she was out the door Gil's uninterested mask slipped and the creep grinned at him. He made a fake lunge, which had Lewis jerking in response, the cold wall making his one arm tingle as it pressed into it, his other arm coming up, ready to defend himself. Gil laughed and then slipped out the door after his boss, shaking his head in amusement.

Lewis sighed and pulled away from the wall, frowning when his right arm continued to tingle strangely. He absently scratched at it, and then jerked his hand back in surprise at a sharp pain. His finger tip was bleeding. What in gods name…he bent his arm to look at its underside, and almost staggered in shock. The fin that ran along the underside of his arms when he was in merform had appeared, at least it had from his mid forearm to just above his elbow. It was it's familiar dark grey with deep blue and black undertones, looking ridiculous on his pale skin. The spines of the fin were flared widely, sticking several inches straight out of his arm, like they did whenever he was feeling defensive in the water.

He stared at them. How the hell could they be there? This had never happened before, not to him, and the girls had said the only time they ever had any of their 'mermaid parts' showing was when they were actually in mermaid form. Then again, they didn't have fins on their forearms or their back like he did, which he assumed was, again, a difference between being male and female. He sucked in a worried breath, and looked over his shoulder, hoping like hell this was one of the times that nobody was behind the mirror, observing. Still, he pressed himself into the corner to keep his arm out of view. His other arm seemed perfectly fine.

Hesitating a moment he finally brought his hand up, ignoring the bright red smear of blood that covered their tips, and pressed against the spines. They held stiffly, rigid and set and he puzzled at it. Normally they were soft and flexible. He gently scraped a finger over the edge of one and actually gasped when he realized that it was as sharp as a bloody knife. He swallowed thickly at the revelation, stared another moment, and then calmly told himself that things were okay. With another breath he willed the sharp spines to go away.

Like magic they disappeared back into his forearm, not even leaving a mark on his skin. The tingling was completely gone.

The door to his cell opened and he whirled around, to see one of the lab techs coming in with a tray. Dinner. The woman looked at him with wide eyes and he stared back. He'd never seen her here before, she must be new. She looked him over carefully and he willed himself to not react, really not wanting them to know about this latest development, but he didn't know exactly what it was yet and feared he couldn't control it. Thankfully, it seemed to be perfectly willing to steer clear for the time being as there was no tell tale cold tingle over his skin.

"I brought you dinner," she finally announced and he made no move to step anywhere near her. Her eyebrows furrowed at that and she took a step further into the room.

"Just leave it there," he insisted, not wanting her anywhere closer to him. She paused, and then nodded, actually abiding by his wish and placing the tray on the floor before backing out. The door shut with an ominous click behind her.

Huh.

He brushed a bloody fingertip on the underside of his arm once more, before going to get his meal. If he could will his fins to appear and disappear, did this mean he could control his transformation?

It was something worth considering.

H2OOOO

Tbc

A huge thanks goes out to MermaidRaven and Fanficfemale for your continued reviews. I'd also like to give a shout out to Bella. It's nice to know people are reading and still (hopefully) enjoying this fic.

I think I realize that it's not the usual cup of tea for this fandom (mainly due to the lack of girls and 'ships), but I do hope that it's interesting all the same.

Thanks again!


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTES:** I'M BACK! Very sorry to have taken sooo long to actually get back and finish writing this story. The good news is that it's finished and I'll be posting it regularly as soon as I finish editing it (which will be a poor editing job because my grammar sucks. Seriously).

Thank you very much for sticking with me (if you're still around!) and for all the wonderful comments. I truly hope I don't disappoint you with the way this story wraps up.

WARNING: I would once again like to remind people that this story depicts violence and implied non-consensual sex. It is not graphic, but it is there. You have been warned.

Also, I have no BETA.

Enjoy!

H2OOOOO

She had spent almost two years of her life working to get into this position. Two years of performing basic lab tests that the co-op students should have handled. Two years of late nights, long hours and missed dates. She'd written and re-written reports until her fingers ached from typing. She gutted fish to feed the few seals and dolphins they had on site, she helped muck out their pens when the cleaners called in sick. She stared into glass tanks and video recordings for hours to get a proper study of fish school flocking patterns.

She specialized in the integumentary system. She had even won some recognition in various scientific communities and journals for her master's thesis. She was accomplished and hardworking. But she had wanted to work for the best, and then eventually become the best. It had taken her two _years_ of hard work and near obsessive dedication, but she finally got her wish. She was now working directly under Dr. Linda Denman herself.

Then, surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly once she had gotten to know Denman a little better) she had had to continue to jump through hoops and perform tasks far below her skill level for the better part of three months before she was apparently deemed competent enough to join Linda's top research team. The team that zoologists and biologists and ecologists and all the other 'ologists alike practically came to blows over joining.

Before Dr. Denman even considered providing her security clearance to her private labs (the labs everyone knew all the _really _important research took place) she had to undergo an intense series of interviews, followed by piles of paperwork and confidentiality agreements.

The excitement she felt at finally being handed a security pass card and a firm, welcoming handshake by the good doctor herself, had made her light headed and almost shaking with excitement. It had been such a thrill, such and incredible reward after all her sacrifice!

The private lab was located just south of Dawesville, surrounded by bush and accessed only after a drive down a long, privately built road. The parking lot, which consisted of dirt, gravel and the occasional clumps of weeds, had no more then eight spaces. It was ridiculously close to the ocean and she could not resist having a look before reporting inside.

It was breathtaking.

There was even a massive manmade wharf protruding from the shore. It must have gone out thirty meters before cutting around at ninety degrees to parallel the shoreline before cutting again back to shore. Waves crashed on its opposite side, but they barely affected the calm waters within its borders as the jetty was barely large enough to provide entry for what looked like their research boats. The jetty, the only opening into the water pen, was fenced off, and she had been delighted to see that it was because of the dolphins they had swimming happily around within. Their whistles and chirps clear in the air as a handler tossed them fish from a deck that backed into the building.

It was perfect.

Then they had told her that they were currently in possession of, and studying, an honest to god Mermaid! Well, Merman actually. Merperson? However it was classified she couldn't be more thrilled. The regeneration capabilities of the merperson's scales, even the scales themselves, were fascinating! They weren't even a type of scale she had ever encountered before. It was like a cross between placoid and leptoid, but after examining it more closely, she would even go so far as to say that they might have a mix of true cosmoid scales. Which…_wow_. Because those had only ever been found on the extinct crossopterygians!

It was incredible! She was hooked, pun not intended, and had spent days involving herself in learning all about it, never really thinking to ask to see the creature itself. Then Linda had asked her to bring a tray of food to the isolation/viewing room and, not thinking anything of it, she had.

A man had stood in the corner when she entered, half of his body hidden by the wall he seemed to be attempting to melt into. He was dressed in scrubs and startled as soon as she stepped in the door, jerking around to face her. His eyes were sharp and assessing, and maybe even slightly fearful. His shaggy hair fell over his forehead, partially blocking his eyes from view and, ridiculously, the first thing that popped into her mind was that he needed a haircut. After looking him over carefully and wondering just what, exactly, he was doing here in the first place, his youth became apparent. He couldn't have been older then twenty.

The silence was heavy between them for a long moment, before she remembered that she was there to bring him his meal.

"I brought your dinner," she announced and held it out a little, expecting him to come and take it from her. He made no move towards her, not even half a step. She frowned at the odd behaviour, and decided to just take it over to the only chair in the room, which sat facing a cot.

"Just leave it there," he commanded sharply, his voice smooth despite the edge to it. She considered ignoring him and bringing it in anyway, but his obvious unease changed her mind. She put it on the floor and quickly left. The loud click of the door automatically locking behind her was hard to misinterpret.

What was going on?

"So you finally met him did ya?" A deep voice announced behind her and she spun around with a gasp, clutching her hand to her chest when she saw that it was just Gil.

"You scared me," she huffed and he grinned at her, an amused glint in his eyes, but he carried on with his initial question instead of commenting on her nerves.

"What did you think?"

"Of what? The boy in there?" She frowned to herself, thinking about his standoffish behaviour, the weary look in his eyes, and the finality of the doors lock clicking into place. She looked at the door now, picturing him inside still standing stiffly in the corner. "Who is he? Why is he in there?" At that Gil's eyebrow's raised in surprise.

"That's Lewis," he informed her, and she stared at him blankly, because if she was supposed to know who Lewis was then it appeared someone, somewhere, had forgotten to tell her. Apparently her confusion showed clearly on her face, because Gil filled in the blank for her. "He's the mermaid."

"What?" She asked, feeling ridiculously stupid.

"He's the mermaid, or merman I suppose," she sensed a little mockery in his voice. But then he smiled, so she assumed she imagined it. Still, she wasn't sure she understood what he meant.

"That boy in there is who we've been studying?"

"It is. Just be careful if you're working around it though, it tends to get violent when you least expect it to." He informed her with sincerity. She blinked at him, feeling stunned.

"But…he's just a person." She stood stiffer as he shrugged indifferently.

"We're putting him back in the water tomorrow. Dr. Denman wants to put him through some endurance tests. You should be there for it, and then you'll see exactly what it is we're working with."

"I'm not sure I'm following you Gil. You're telling me he's half fish, but he's standing in that room on two legs…"

"It's incredible isn't it," Linda's voice spoke behind her and she took a step back to find the shorter woman watching her carefully. "He has the capability to physically morph from one form to another on a molecular level from the simple introduction of water on his skin." Linda explained and beckoned for them to follow her down the hall.

"So he's both human and…fish?" She asked, unease beginning to churn in her stomach.

"Yes, he is." Linda pressed her security card to a scanner and gestured for her and Gil to step into the room before letting the door fall closed. She stopped and gaped a moment, completely enthralled by the large room and all of the equipment it held. Not to mention the different tanks, all filled with water and filtration systems, all different sizes. There were two men on the opposite end of the room, kneeling around and in-ground rectangular pool large enough for a person to fully stretch out in and then some, but it wasn't overly wide.

"That's our new exercise pool. Beauty isn't it? Stainless steel, the finest saltwater filtration system available, an 8 horsepower power unit to run the water propulsion system, twenty-three invisible underwater camera's built into the wall and state of the art laser bioscanners." It was pretty impressive she had to admit, and Linda seemed pleased with it as they walked passed.

"What's it for?" She wondered out loud.

"We're going to have Lewis swim in it tomorrow, to give us a real idea of how his body moves while in the water. There's only so much we can study when he's in a normal tank, and at least this way he'll be getting some proper exercise."

"And he's okay with this?" She wanted to know, because he hadn't seemed overly impressed when she'd brought him his meal in his 'room.'

"Sarah," Linda turned to her, conflicting emotions of regret and hope on her face as she met her eyes. "I will not lie and say that he is not completely happy here, but the work we're doing, the things that Lewis and his body are teaching us…it is something that has _never_ been discovered before. He is a new species, and an absolutely incredible one at that. He might not always show it, but he understands why we're doing this, and you need to understand that what we're doing here could very well be for the betterment of mankind. Do you understand?" Linda watched her intensely and yes, she could understand what the woman was saying. If he truly was what they said he was (and she still wasn't completely sure she believed it, despite the work she had been doing in the last week) then this would be a breakthrough never before seen. It would be history in the making. But…

"I understand," Sarah said slowly, "but you're sure it's okay to have him here? If he's a human being, then this…you are telling me that his being here is legal?"

"I'm telling you that we have an opportunity that we can not miss, and that you can either be a part of it, or you can not be a part of it. But it might help ease your conscience knowing that he is not a completely stable being. As far as we can tell he has no family and no discernable history. We found him when he became accidently entangled in our nets and initially brought him in to help heal him from his serious injuries. His staying here now…you can think of it as him paying off his debt." Linda didn't look away from her, and Sarah was slowly becoming unsettled by the look. She could feel Gil standing just off to her side, watching her just as carefully and she realized that this was a test. One that she had to pass no matter what. She took a breath, and then nodded.

"Yes, I understand," she agreed and looked pointedly past Linda to the diagnostic console behind her. "And I'm honoured that you're allowing me to have a place in such a unique study." Linda's smile bloomed and Sarah relaxed under it easily.

"Then I'm glad to officially welcome you aboard."

She spent the rest of the day acquainting herself with the equipment and learning that nothing, no matter what, of what they learned here left the labs under any circumstances. She understood the need for secrecy now, and all the interviews and confidentiality agreements made sense.

She just hoped it would be worth it.

H2OOOO

Linda waited patiently as she watched Gil herd Lewis into the room, Rickman and Paul flanking the boy on either side as he padded, barefoot, across the lab. Lewis seemed tired today, his shoulders were hunched and, she noted with a frown, they were going to have to cut his hair again soon, because she couldn't have it blocking his beautiful eyes.

"I want to see his back first," she called out as they headed to the exercise pool, and Gil obediently changed their direction and marched him over to her. "Shirt off please," she ordered softly. Lewis stiffened even more at that, giving her one of his patented looks of disgust, and she could see him sizing up the pro's and con's of arguing this morning, before sighing and swiftly tugging the thin material up and over his head. He threw it at Gil for affect, and the man's eyes narrowed dangerously. Honestly, she didn't know what the problem was between the two.

"Let me see," she ordered and when Lewis didn't move immediately Gil grabbed him by the arm and yanked him around, pushing the boy so his arms braced on the table before them, baring his pale back for all to see. She gently reached up and ran a finger down the length of one scar, feeling the slight ridge still there from the healing process. In a few weeks the bump would be gone but she doubted the scar line would ever fully disappear.

"A few days out of the water was all he needed to finish healing the last bit. At this point I clear him for full physical activity," Rickman informed her, looking intently at his clipboard as he spoke, and she was relieved to hear it. She hated seeing the marks on his body, but it had hopefully taught him at least a small lesson in when to be careless in this environment. She had just been terrified that they'd almost lost him at the time.

"Very well. Lewis, is there anything you'd like to tell me this morning?" She didn't expect an answer from him, and wasn't disappointed as he kept his head bowed. "Very well," she stepped away and nodded towards the pool, satisfied when Lewis followed her gaze. "Strip and get in."

"What? No towel for privacy?" he sneered even as he began heading to the waters edge and eyeing it suspiciously.

"We've all seen what you've got big boy, nothing to be shy about," Gil goaded and Linda waited silently until Lewis dropped the pants and, with a deep breath, slid into the pool.

His transformation was instantaneous and, as always, it took her breath away. She heard a gasp beside her and turned to see Sarah standing there, staring at Lewis with wide, intrigued eyes. _Good_ Linda thought, and turned back to watch her prize as he ducked under the water and tucked himself into the corner. She turned to the series of monitors before her and clicked on the camera's to watch him more clearly.

Words could not describe the image. Today his fin was almost a solid deep blue, streaked with thin lines of silver throughout and she itched to touch. Four and a half hours later, when Lewis pulled himself exhaustedly out of the water she resisted the urge to touch again. They all did, choosing to stand back and just watch as he lay on the cold ground, propped up on one arm with his eyes closed and panting heavily. He was exhausted. Tired out to the point that he didn't even resist when they finally moved in on him, cautiously picking him up and placing him on the gurney.

She wanted to run more tests, wanted to take more samples, maybe put him in a tank and introduce some animals to him. Looking at him now, strapped down with his chest rising and falling as he tried to calm his breathing, eyes closed to ignore them all, and she felt generous.

"Put him in his normal tank. He's done for the day." They had enough info to analyse for the next few days anyway. She didn't bother watching as Lewis sank to the bottom of the tank and curled up, his head buried in his arms, and slept.


	7. Chapter 7

"She's got a lab near Wadesville" his dad told him unceremoniously as soon as Zane answered his phone and Zane frowned, trying to picture the place in his mind before realizing he'd never actually been there.

"Wadesville?" He repeated, and rolled his eyes as soon as he said it. "You got an exact address?" He listened intently as his dad rattled it off, and after a quick thanks hung up and typed it into his blackberry. Then he stared at it. He must have been staring a moment too long when Detective Firth pointedly cleared his throat. Zane startled. He'd forgotten that he'd been in conversation with the man.

"Is that a lead on your missing friend?" Firth wanted to know, not looking overly interested and no doubt asking because it was expected, but Zane knew better then to disregard this guy. Firth was the youngest officer promoted to detective in the history of the precinct, and he had a bit of a reputation for convincing people to underestimate him. Zane didn't know what to think of the guy yet, but he did know that they didn't get off on the wrong foot. That had to count for something.

"No, no. Just…family stuff." Zane shrugged it off, though he felt antsy with adrenaline. If he left within the hour he could be in Wadesville just after midnight. "Important family stuff, actually. I've got to go."

Firth eyed him a moment, before filling up his paper cup with water.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. Thank you for your time, and for actually listening to what I had to say."

"No problem," Firth swallowed the water in two gulps and crushed the cup, before looking at him with a slight frown. "I understand the concern for a missing friend. His family still aren't concerned that he didn't return home for Christmas, but I'll start looking into it anyway. You never know what might turn up, and family isn't always right."

Zane paused and looked at him, a bit startled. None of the police had offered to help him out yet, despite his visits. He wondered, off hand, if he had been foisted off on Firth so that he'd stop bothering the guys at the front desk. Firth would be considered the rookie, so if anyone was going to be given the distraction detail it would be him…

"Thanks," Zane just said, and then gave Firth a little wave before quickly leaving the precinct. He went home, packed some things, and was well on his way within the hour.

He was halfway through his drive when his cell rang. He grabbed at it without checking the identity.

"Bennet," he barked into it, cursing at a slow driver up ahead.

"Wow, are you sure you don't want to be a cop? Because the authority in the way you just announced yourself definitely screams law enforcement to me." It was Emma, and her tone implied that she was amused. Zane took a breath, trying to release some of the tension that had been steadily building over the last few weeks, and put a smile he didn't feel into his voice.

"I've thought about going back to the academy, but then I fear I'd be further away from you then I could bare." She laughed and he shifted the phone to his other ear. He should invest in an earphone. "What's up Em?"

"Just calling to see if you're free tonight, if you wanted to get together?" She sounded hopeful, but a bit off. He frowned.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, of course," she assured him quickly. "It's just been a while since we've hung out." Which was true. He hadn't seen her since before Christmas, and then it had only been a dinner with the three girls and himself.

"You having problems with that guy of yours?"

"Chris? No, none. Things are great with us," and he believed that at least. One of the reasons he hadn't seen her much was because she was spending all her free time with _Chris_. He was happy for her, but concerned. When he'd brought up his concerns for their safety at the dinner party he'd been met with three annoyed glares and firm declarations that they could take care of themselves thank you very much.

There had been no mention of Lewis that night, though Zane had tried to steer the conversation in that direction several times. He felt the presence of his missing friend even more then, and in all honesty he hadn't been very impressed with their lack of concern over his not coming home for Christmas. Cleo had made a good point in saying that even if Lewis had come home, he wouldn't dare show his face around them. Not after the things he said.

Zane hadn't mentioned that Lewis had never shown up to University in the first place, or that he hadn't been able to find him anywhere. It had been almost four months.

He still wasn't sure if he hadn't told them of his suspicions because he had no 'real' proof; because he had the nagging fear that telling them may get them hurt, and he had promised Lewis he would try to take care of them (whenever he could); or if he'd kept them in the dark because a small part of him didn't think they deserved to know. Perhaps he was a bit pissed that they'd dismissed Lewis so easily, after everything that they'd all been through together, and after Lewis had only ever been after them for their own safety.

Of course, saying any of that out loud was out of the question.

"Actually," Emma hedged, suddenly a bit hesitant. "I wanted to know if you were okay?" He took his sunglasses off and tossed them on the seat, the sun finally settling low enough that he didn't need them.

"Me?" He tried to sound surprised. "I'm fine. Did I do something that gave you a different impression?"

"Not really. It's just…you seemed tense at dinner, distracted, and you've kind of fallen off our radar since you moved into that new place of yours. I just want to make sure everything's all right." He resisted the urge to sigh. Things were far from all right, but he couldn't tell her that.

"I've just been a bit distracted since I left the academy," he admitted. It was the absolute truth, he just let her believe that it was also the reason.

"I know you liked it there, you would make a great officer Zane," she tried to be supportive. He appreciated the attempt, but they'd already hashed this out when he'd first left the academy and he didn't feel like discussing it again. Women and their need to _talk_! It drove him up the wall at times.

"Nah, I would have been fired within a month on the job. Apparently I have a bit of a problem with authority." Not to say that he'd acted out while at the academy, but he had had the distinct urge to tell his instructors where they could shove it several times and he just knew it wasn't for him. "I'm currently looking in to other prospects," he declared, trying to close the conversation down without sounding rude. She didn't take the hint.

"Oh yeah? What's that then?"

"I was thinking Private Investigator," he declared, and then cringed. It was the first thing that popped into his head and it definitely didn't sound glamorous enough. "Or a plastic surgeon," he added on to save face. After all, the son of a business man as successful as his father had to live up to high standards.

His initial decision to join the academy hadn't been accepted with grace.

"Yeah right. Not with the science grades you made," she teased.

"I'll have you know that I am a hidden fount of scientific potential."

Her response was cut off by the blaring horn of an impatient driver behind him and he glared into his rearview mirror. It's not as though _he_ was the one driving so ridiculously slow, but the road here wasn't exactly the safest to pass people on.

"Are you driving?" Emma asked, curious.

"Yes."

"Where are you going?"

"Visiting some family," he said, perhaps a tad to hastily when there was a significant pause on the other line.

"For how long?"

"Don't know yet," he contemplated passing the car, only to see a large truck bearing down on them.

"Are you sure things are-"

"Things are fine," he cut her off, suddenly tired of this conversation and he could practically feel the sudden tension through the line.

"Are-" she hesitated for a brief moment, uncertain in a way that was not normal for her. "Are you going to visit Lewis?" He snorted, no humour in the sound.

"Would it matter if I was?" he asked, trying to school his voice into sounding casual, unconcerned. He didn't feel like finally having the 'Lewis' conversation now, of all times.

"Not really," she responded, and the anger at their friend was still clearly evident in her voice, though she hesitated again before continuing. "But Cleo mentioned that she hadn't heard a thing from him since _that_ day. Not even an email or text to say he was sorry."

"Did you really expect one?" He couldn't help asking, too tired to completely hide his irritation. She picked up on it. Of course she did: she was far from stupid. Usually.

"Yes, I did. We all did. Lewis was far out of line that day. None of us ever thought he would betray us like that."

"Are you sure he betrayed you?" The car in front of him finally turned off and he gunned it, trying to outrun his anger. His worry.

"Maybe not intentionally, but he sure didn't hold back when he threatened to expose Rikki."

"No, he didn't." Zane agreed, because it was true. But they hadn't seen his fists clenched white and shaking beneath the table. "How unlike him."

There was a long pause then. The longest yet, and he wondered if she was pissed at him for not agreeing with her completely, or finally taking a moment to listen to him as he tried to point out that things weren't right.

"People change," she finally said, and disappointment flooded through him.

"Sure," he agreed flatly. "Listen Emma, I've got to concentrate on driving."

"Right, of course," her tone uncertain again, hearing the dismissal in his voice. "I'll see you when you get back?"

"Probably," he agreed, still without emotion. "Take care." He hung up.

He would see her when he got back, and maybe they'd discuss it more then. But right now, he just wanted to stop feeling worried and confused and frustrated and afraid. He wanted answers damn it! And he wanted things back the way they had been. But he was all too aware that at this point things could never be the same. So what he had to do was hope that Lewis was okay, and that when he found him and brought him home they could fix things then.

There wasn't much more for it.

--H2OOOO—

"Get OFF! Let me GO!" Lewis snarled, struggling viciously as they practically threw him onto the examination table and wrestled his arms into the padded cuffs, effectively pinning them by his side. Gil pressed his forearm against Lewis's chest and lay his weight into it, slamming the struggling man back onto the table so Rickman could slide the chest strap into place. She watched as Lewis stared up at Gil, still struggling, still swearing, still trying to get off of the table any way possible. Even if it meant flipping the table over.

This is why, Dr. Denman had softly explained to her, they had had to bolt the table into the ground.

Sarah jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being smacked by Lewis's large, powerful tail as he swung it around, trying to throw himself off the table. Or knock her coworkers away from him.

"Lewis! Behave!" Gil ordered, leaning more forcefully into Lewis's chest, which only seemed to infuriate the man/fish hybrid even more and he actually tried to head-butt Gil.

"I'm not a dog!"

Gil moved his arm up higher to press into Lewis's throat and the boy finally stopped thrashing. Thank god. But his chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath from the struggle, and the knuckles on his right hand were bruising from where he'd managed to get in a few hits.

There was a large trail of water leading from the tank to the table, and they were all at least partially soaked, even Sarah, who had done nothing more then stand on the sidelines and watch.

They had dropped Lewis once, when he had gone from compliant to desperate struggling. He probably had new bruising on his back.

It would match the bruising on his wrists, from where he continued to struggle against his restraints.

It took three men to pin his tail so they could strap it down, and when Gil finally pushed off of the boy he did not look amused. His left eye already swelling red. Lewis looked at it and grinned, before dropping his head back to the metal table and looking away from them all.

"I think it's getting stronger," Dr. Rickman announced, rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension of the struggle. Sarah liked him. He was a nice man who knew his work, but she sometimes had trouble with how he always referred to Lewis as an 'it.' Perhaps it made him feel better about the things they did to Lewis.

"I agree," Gil seconded him and leaned over Lewis, grabbing his jaw and turning his head to look at him. Sarah looked away, pretending to be busy with setting up her tests. She had initially thought Gil was a kind, easy going man with a great smile. She could admit to herself that she had been a little infatuated with him her first weeks here. But she watched the way he touched Lewis. Watched the way he tormented him, and tried to scare him. Saw the way he held him down, with his entire body instead of just his hands and she felt sick. She didn't know what to do.

She distracted herself by quickly taking a few scale samples from Lewis's fin, touching him with only the swabs and tweezers. She had never felt his fin, though her fingers itched to touch, or tried to squeeze his shoulder in support. She knew he wouldn't accept it, and she knew that the last thing he wanted was one more person touching him. Taking from him.

She left the room as Denman stepped up beside her pet, laying a proprietary hand on Lewis's chest, spreading her fingers out as she chastised him for trying to break free.

Sarah didn't blame him. She kind of wanted to break free herself, but she was afraid. She was afraid of what would happen if she went to someone about this. She had signed forms, made professional promises, and even participated in some of the experiments.

If she went to the authorities she feared Lewis would just change hands. If she let Lewis go she feared what Denman and Gil would do to her.

She didn't want to loose everything she had worked for. She didn't want to feel like her life may be threatened. She hadn't gotten that feeling yet, but the way these people were with Lewis, the way they obsessed about him, about how they felt he belonged to them, she wouldn't put them past threatening her life if she did something to ruin this for them.

So she stayed quiet, did her job and pretended she didn't mind. Pretended that it didn't hurt to hear Lewis screaming to be let go, struggling to break free, to keep them away from him. The worst though, was when he just watched her quietly with those sharp blue eyes, and she saw understanding there. Saw that he had figured her out, and understood even if he didn't show her forgiveness.

When she went home at night, she cried herself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

It was his first real stake out, and he had quickly learned that patience was a virtue he did not come by naturally. Fortunately for him he was good at pretending, which meant that he'd pretended he'd enjoyed the last three days he'd spent hidden in the woods rather successfully. Well, mostly successfully. Point being that he'd been there for three consecutive days and he'd learned some things that had him convinced that he was at least barking up the right tree.

One of his key problems being that he had no proof or reason to think that Lewis was in Denman's research facility. What she could possibly have interest in him for Zane had no idea, unless it was to glean more information on mermaids which, admittedly, Lewis probably knew the most about. The main problem with that theory was that that was not enough of a reason to kidnap the guy.

Zane refused to believe that Lewis would help Denman of his own accord, no matter what state his friendship was with the girls. He wasn't that kind of a person.

So in the last three days Zane had watched, taken photos, marked the time of peoples arrival and departure (erratic), which vehicles they drove, names that people called out in greeting, security presence, video surveillance, evening lock down procedures and anything else that he thought might be relevant (or at least interesting).

A few of the men had looked familiar, but other then Denman herself Zane didn't know who anyone was. One woman had caught his attention though, and he watched her carefully now as she stepped out of her vehicle in the isolated labs parking lot. She hesitated after she closed the door, the same way she had the three mornings before this day, before she seemed to gather her wits and square her shoulders. She smiled and called out a greeting to "Doc," and Zane could admit she was good because there was no hesitancy at all in her interactions and her smile looked real enough. But on his first day of surveillance he had watched her leave the building and head to her car with a determinedly steady step, and he had seen the few tears escape just as she unlocked her door. He had proof of her unhappiness in his photos.

She was good at pretending around the people she worked with, but apparently not with herself. He just wanted to know what made her so sad. Of all the people who worked here, she was the only one that he thought he might have a chance at approaching.

She paused at the doorway, giving a nod to Doc as he went inside and stopped to finish her cigarette. She took her time, exhaling slowly, as if to draw out the experience. He got the impression she was stalling.

His cell phone chose that moment to ring, loudly, and he just bit off a curse as he scrambled to silence it, and then looked quickly back to her. She was frowning in his general direction, but even as he focused on her again she was shaking her head at herself and crushing her smoke into the gravel.

He breathed a sigh of relief as she went inside, leaving the parking lot barren, and glanced down at his silently ringing phone. Firth.

Shit. He couldn't really miss that call.

He flipped it open, taking one more look around the empty parking lot before carefully stepping even further into the bushes.

"_Bennet_" he hissed quietly into the phone, not seeing a reason to give his position away to the people he was spying on. There was a pause on the other end of the line (he'd been getting that a lot these last few days), before the detective greeted him.

"It's Firth," he introduced. "I think I may have found something of interest about McCartney."

"_Really?_" Zane couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. He'd been sure his 'case' had been pawned off on the detective just to make him think someone was working on it. He hadn't expected the man to truly investigate. His respect for him raised a couple notches. "_What did you find?_"

"Is there a reason you're whispering?" Zane smirked at the question and contemplated telling the guy that he was in the middle of a stakeout, which would probably be classified as 'stalking' to anyone who wasn't in law enforcement. He didn't think Firth would be too impressed with hearing about it though.

"_Late night with some friends: crashed in their apartment. People are still asleep on the floor and I don't want to wake them._"

"How considerate of you," Firth responded dryly. Dry enough, in fact, to indicate that he didn't believe Zane, but thankfully he didn't press the issue. "I looked into the Marina you mentioned and pulled the entrance ways surveillance tapes for the night you said you thought Lewis disappeared on." Zane had tried to do that, but the managers had laughed at him and politely told him to screw off. Apparently they felt differently when a cop asked to see them.

"_And he was on them?_" Zane stopped his careful walk through the dense foliage and tensed as he waited for an answer.

"He was. He had two trunks with him, dragged 'em right out onto the dock. I couldn't see anything past the main entrance to the marina, but I watched the entire film until the next evening and he never left. At least not the way he came. I dug a little deeper and found that four boats departed between that evening and the following morning. One of them belongs to a _Dr. Denman_. If Lewis's work history is correct then he used to work for Denman."

"_He did, for a short time._" Zane confirmed.

"Is it possible he picked up with her again? Decided to put off going to Uni for a while longer to gain some experience in the working world?"

Not a chance in hell, Zane thought ruthlessly.

"_Anything's possible I suppose_," he allowed instead, suddenly weary of giving too much away. Hearing that Lewis went to the dock wasn't a big surprise; Zane knew his friend had been trying to warn-off/mislead Denman away from the girls, even if he never came out and admitted it to them. Hearing that he hadn't left the dock…that was suspicious.

"You don't sound overly concerned about that."

"_They didn't part on the best of terms_" he admitted.

"You know…Denman has a research facility just south of Wadesville. A fairly expansive one if I'm correct." Firth intoned, and Zane's stomach did a weird little flip-flop. "Weren't you headed up there the other day? Family business I believe you said."

"_No, I never made it out to them. Either way they live in Wyndham, not Wadesville."_

"My mistake." Detective Firth paused a moment. "Keep me updated on anything you might find."

"_Will do. And… Thank you, for helping me_."

"It's what I do," he paused a moment, as though hesitant to say anything more. "Take care of yourself Zane. Be careful."

"_Always_ _am_." He snapped the phone shut, just as he heard a shout and then a large racket coming from Denman's. He swore and ran back the way he came, which was difficult when trying to remain inconspicuous. Why the bloody heck did he walk so far into the bush?

It was coming from the other side of the building, leading out to the water and he couldn't see a damn thing.

"Would you tranq it already!" A man hollered, and even from over here Zane could tell that he was pissed. "Hold him!" Zane pushed himself faster through the bush, and then had to slow when it became much sparser, not leaving anywhere for him to properly hide. The dolphins were acting up in their pen, he could just see them splashing around and their clicks and whistles were unmistakable. He dropped down to his stomach and crawled forward, careful to keep his camera safe and when he finally caught sight of a few clumped bodies he zoomed in and snapped a few pictures.

There wasn't much to see, the building mostly blocking them as they seemed to pick themselves up off the ground. They were only five meters from the waters edge.

"Get it back inside, and lock it down! You people do understand what that means right? The concept of keeping things properly contained?" The sarcasm was not lost on Zane, but nobody argued as they were disappearing quickly. He took a few more shots, but doubted he got anything useful.

"Calm down Gil," Denman herself made an appearance, appearing from around the corner, her attention divided between what the people were carrying back inside, and the practically livid man. They moved to the waters edge and stared at the dolphins, their volume returning to a normal level and, despite the still air, Zane could only pick up snatches of words: more careful; too close; teach lesson; stupid… he sighed in frustration and didn't dare move from his position behind a scraggly shrub. It was a few minutes before they finally went in as well, deserting the dock and the still agitated dolphins.

He was sweaty, hot, and now extremely dirty. The worst of it was that something big had happened, and he hadn't seen a damn thing.

This was getting him nowhere! He could lay out here in the trees for weeks and not learn anything more. Whatever had just happened sounded like a complete anomaly and someone was going to be paying the price for it no doubt.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

That's it, he was going back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes. He'd take a closer look at the photos there, though he doubted they'd tell him anything.

Then he was going to have to come up with a different course of action.

-H2OOOO-

He had been right: the photos, once enlarged on his laptop, didn't tell him anything new.

Except that the thing that they had been lifting had had a hand. A limp hand that had sort of flopped into one photo like it was trying to tease him with its presence. Like the extra hand in The Last Supper.

It didn't tease him: it freaked him out.

As he followed Sarah's blue smart car down the darkening streets, rain pelting at his windows, he wondered if he was getting in over his head. He contemplated calling for help. He decided he needed more information first.

He waited until it was dark before parking down the street from her apartment building.

-H2OOOO-

She couldn't get her hands to stop shaking, and it had been like that since she'd stepped into the comfort of her apartment. She tried to blame the storm, because she had hated them ever since she was a child and one had blown a tree down on her family's garage, but that would have been lying.

She felt cold, despite the heat that had been baking the continent all day long, and a shower hadn't warmed her up at all. Normally she'd turn to watching ridiculous childhood movies for comfort, but her favourite had been The Little Mermaid and she wasn't sure if she could handle that one ever again. So instead she sat at her kitchen counter, a table lamp in the living room her only source of steady light, and watched the storm rage outside her windows hours after darkness had fallen.

She felt trapped.

A firm knock at her door startled her, cold tea spilling from the mug she had clutched in her hands and she swore as she grabbed for a cloth to wipe it up. The knock came again and she took a deep steadying breath before heading over and looking through her peep hole to see who could possibly be visiting her unannounced and after ten in the evening.

It was a young man, and she didn't recognize him. He was rocking back and forth on his feet, watching the door nervously and she contemplated pretending she wasn't home. Then he knocked again, a little louder, and she realized that he probably wasn't going to go away.

She turned on a main light and slid the door open as far as the chain would allow, peering out at him. He was wet, his hair flattened to his head and t-shirt and opened button-up darkened from the water. His nerves appeared steady as a rock as he looked at her carefully, no smile on his face in greeting, instead just a grimness that seemed out of place on someone so young.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes," his voice was sure and smooth. "I think you can Sarah." She stared wide eyed at him, her heart suddenly hammering in her chest because she knew she had never seen him before in her life.

"How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you." Her eyes widened and she went to slam the door shut, but something jammed it and he was holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender, his eyes wide. "No! That didn't come out right at all. I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare you, I really don't, but I need your help, and I didn't know how else to approach you." She didn't know whether she should believe him or not, and over the last few months her trust in humanity had taken a nose dive. Her cell phone was still in her purse, tucked away in the closet, but she was certain that a loud cry for help would bring her neighbours running.

"I can't help you," she insisted and went to close the door again, only to find it was still jammed. She looked down to see his trainer stuck in the jamb.

"Sarah, please, I really think you can. I'm looking for a friend of mine, he's been missing since early September."

"I can't-"

"Just look at his picture" he cut her off, his frustration evident. "If you tell me you've never seen him, then I'll leave you alone. I promise. Just…look." He pressed a photograph through the space in the door and, after waving it at her encouragingly, she took it and turned it over and nearly dropped it.

The tremors in her hand grew worse as she stared at a picture of a young man with bright blue eyes and a floppy hat, clutching a fishing rod. It wasn't a great picture, but it was clear. She brought her hand to her mouth in horror.

"His name is Lewis," he said softly.

"They told me they caught him in a net," she wanted to cry. "They told me he was sick, and alone and needed help. That he was unstable…" she trailed off at the look that came over the dark haired mans face. It was a look she wasn't sure she wanted to interpret.

"My name's Zane, and I would really appreciate it if we could sit down and talk about him." She stared at him a moment longer, and then down at the goofy grin on photo Lewis's face. She'd never seen Lewis smile like that the entire two months she'd known him. Actually, she'd never seen him smile at all.

"Yes, of course." She let him in and they sat in her kitchen, fresh cups of tea before them and the storm raging on outside and he thanked her for trusting him, for letting him in.

She felt as though she was the last person he should be thanking.

"You said they 'caught him in a net?'" He leaned forward, his gaze intense as he got down to business and with those few simple words her unease came right back.

"How well did you say you know Lewis?" She tried to sound casual, and saw the moment he understood her question because he stood up from the table abruptly, suddenly a ball of tight energy as he began pacing.

"Not well enough," he muttered, and looked back at her suspiciously. "They caught him in a net?" he repeated his question.

"That's what they told me. He was injured and they helped him get better." His face went stony then.

"And did they? Help him get better?" She couldn't answer that, and looked away. "Are they still 'helping' him get better?" She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she brushed it away.

"No, I really don't think they are."

"He has a fin?" He asked her point blank, staring at her intensely and she agreed before she thought about just blurting something like that out to a stranger, regardless of his apparent friendship.

"Son of a BITCH!" He wheeled away from her, his face flushing in anger and he braced his hands on a wall, looking as though he wanted to hit it. More than once. "That stupid, self-sacrificing idiot!" His fists clenched tightly and she sat there, frozen by his burst of livid anger, and didn't say a thing. It was several long minutes before he seemed to get his breathing under control, and he still remained facing the wall as he got his emotions under control. When he finally joined her again at the table he was a wall of fake calm.

"Is he okay?"

"He's managing," she said softly, not willing to go into detail of the terrible things he had to 'manage.'

"Managing." He repeated, and huffed disbelievingly. "Sarah, I promise you that he is not playing Denman's labrat by choice, and I am not going to sit aside and allow this to continue."

"It never should have happened in the first place," she whispered. She had no difficulty believing Lewis didn't want to be there, especially after his escape attempt that morning. She could honestly say she had never been more disappointed in her life then when Gil had tackled him just before he'd made it to the dolphin pool.

"No, it shouldn't have," he agreed softly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. She took a deep, steadying breath.

"Dr. Denman and Gil usually leave around ten in the evening, and other then the two guards they're the last ones to go." She went to the closet and retrieved her purse, pulling her access card out of it and gingerly handing it over. He took it with a frown. "This will open any door within the facility, but you'll need to be careful of the security cameras. They're all over the place."

"I don't think its going to matter if they see me or not. They can't very well go to the police and say I broke in and stole their kidnapped merman whom they were secretly experimenting on illegally." He tucked it into his pocket. "Still, it would probably be a good idea to be cautious." She nodded her agreement, and then drew him a rough map of the facility.

"He'll be in here tonight," she pointed to a small room. "You might want to take a pair of heavy wire cutters with you." His look demanded more of an explanation and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Lewis is rather…creative. He attempted another escape today, and nearly succeeded. Gil wasn't too impressed and he ordered that Lewis be appropriately 'tethered' from now on." His eyes narrowed in anger at this, but he didn't do more then nod in acceptance. "On the chance that they may have moved him after I left, he'll be in this room" she pointed at a much larger square. "Most likely in a tank." _Hopefully _in a tank, she thought.

"Right. Are the guards armed?"

"They carry electric-shock batons, but obviously they won't use them when he's wet. On you they won't care."

"Right." He was tense and his face pinched in a frown, and he assessed her for a long moment before nodding to himself and pushing off from the table. He picked up the photo of Lewis from the tables surface and tucked it into an inside pocket of his jacket. "I'll be going then." She stood up quickly and followed him to the door, he nodded thanks and she wanted to tell him to be careful. She wanted to tell him she was sorry. She wanted to offer to go along, but she didn't do any of these things. She just watched him as he marched to the stairwell and disappeared through the door. Anything she said at this point probably wouldn't be well received: she understood that while she was helping him now, he was perfectly aware that she had been involved in keep Lewis a prisoner.

As for not offering to help him…she never wanted to go back there again, and she couldn't handle the idea of looking at Lewis and seeing his understanding, yet unforgiving eyes.

She closed her door and went to crack open a bottle of whisky.


	9. Chapter 9

_Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid idiot!_ Zane sped along the road, windshield wipers working double time and the thunder crashing almost loud enough to match his mood. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about the possibility of Lewis doing something this idiotic before now! The guy had practically lived and breathed protecting the girls and he had made it clear on more then one occasion that he didn't think they took their safety seriously enough.

He'd warned them that if they were caught they would become lab rats. Experiments. Pets. And Zane knew the girls were aware of this, and he knew that they were cautious. The problem was that they weren't always cautious enough; they were almost caught too many times.

Lewis had apparently decided to take matters into his own hands.

Zane slammed his hands into his steering wheel. "FUCK!" He took a deep breath to calm himself, and didn't feel any better.

He supposed now Lewis's attitude before disappearing made sense, in a twisted, desperate to protect sort of way. He'd turned himself so he could distract Denman from the girls, and then tried to cut ties with the girls so they wouldn't follow/find him and bring themselves back into Denman's radar. At least that's what Zane was assuming had been his reasoning. Idiot.

When Zane got him out of there, if Lewis was okay, he was going to rip him a new one!

Zane took the turn onto the long dirt drive viciously, his back tires spinning. After a few minutes he slowed down and shut off his lights, barely able to see the road in the black. When he came to the last bend that would put him in the parking lot he stopped and shut off his engine.

He took a few minutes to calm himself, listening to the rain hammering onto his truck.

He was startled out of his calm by the piercing ring of his cell. He answered it automatically.

"Bennet!" He barked into it.

"It's Emma," she announced and he smacked his head back into his headrest. He shouldn't have answered it, not right now. What was he thinking?

"Hello," he offered, and reached over to his glove box, snapping it open and pulling out a blue bandana.

"You're not home yet," she announced, sounding slightly accusing and he closed his eyes, listening to the rain.

"No, I'm not," he agreed, swallowing thickly. "Listen Em, I'm sorry but I can't really talk right now."

"It's almost midnight Zane. What could you possibly be doing?" He let his silence answer for him, allowing her to draw whatever conclusion she wanted and suddenly she was stammering an apology for 'interrupting' him and ordered him to call her in the morning before hanging up. He would have found it funny, if his gut wasn't filled with cement and his heart wasn't in his throat.

He tied the bandana around his face, resting it just below his eyes before pulling a hoodie over his head, tying the hood firmly in place. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it would have to do.

He should probably wait before barging in to get Lewis. He should have a game plan, a back up plan, and he should wait until he was calmer. However, not many had ever called him a reasonable guy and he'd often been accused of leaping before looking. Plus: the moment he had proof Lewis was there, and he understood what Lewis was probably suffering through, his entire being had been demanding that he go rescue him _right now_! If he had just listened to his gut all those months ago, while Lewis had slowly been chasing the girls away from him with harsh words and an overbearing attitude, he may have been able to avoid all of this in the first place. He wasn't going to ignore his instincts anymore.

Tucking his weapon into the back of his pants, he palmed the access card and stepped out of his truck.

He didn't bother hiding his approach: he didn't really have any idea how to, so he tried to make up for it by being fast. He did pause a moment before entering the building. Through the rain and darkness he could see two vehicles, and while he didn't know which vehicles the 'guards' drove he did recognize one as being Denman's. She wasn't supposed to working to late.

Tugging his hood self-consciously he swiped the card and slipped into the building, his shoes instantly squelching on the pristine floor. He grimaced, looked around, noticing that nobody was manning the front desk, the lights in the building at half dim. Luck was with him so far, he only hoped it would hold up as he jogged in the direction Sarah had told him the little room was.

The place wasn't that large, but it was still two stories and had several corridors, which subsequently led to quite a few rooms. Breathing heavily and trying desperately to remain silent he approached the one he believed he wanted and quickly unlocked it. After an ominous click it swung open silently, and he stepped inside cautiously, looking around for Lewis.

It was empty.

He looked around again, thinking his friend might be tucked in a corner, but it was no use. The only place to hide was under the bolted down cot, and there was no way he was under there. He stared a moment at the massive, obviously two-way mirror that was almost one entire wall.

"Shit," he muttered quietly, and stepped back into the corridor. He regrouped and moved cautiously to where he thought the 'tank' room was. Thankfully his shoes had stopped squeaking a while ago with his steps, and as jogged down the hallway a door caught his attention. He stopped and blinked at it. Really? He looked down the corridor, feeling antsy and then back at the door marked 'security.' Shit. He didn't really know what he was doing, but he knew that he might not have a chance to get back here after he found his AWOL aquaman. He pulled his weapon and slipped into the room, thankful that he'd worn gloves so he didn't need to worry about leaving his prints behind.

Nobody was there. It was rather anti-climatic, but he could honestly say he wasn't that upset over it. He licked his lips and looked around at the six screens over the work counsel. They seemed focused on the main entrance and hallways and he couldn't see anyone on them. Where the hell were the aforementioned guards? He looked away from the screen and at the systems.

Digital.

He smiled. He could work with that.

It was a matter of five minutes work destroying all the stored security feeds of the last five months (he hoped they didn't have back-up feeds somewhere else), and it wasn't exactly difficult to shut the entire system down. Regardless he left his disguise in place, because at this point there was no sense in becoming over confident.

When he finally found the 'tank room' and looked down on the large space he literally froze. Having toured various marine labs before he had expected something like this; a place that involved many lights, and stainless steel, and water. He'd expected it to be dark and sinister and smelling like fish.

The room was sinister, but it was anything but dark. A large, extraordinarily thick glassed tank took up a massive amount of space to one side, the water in it backlit a rather pretty blue, stairs running up and around its top. A pool sank into the floor along the opposite wall. There were large sinks, lab benches in various locations, computers and screens, portable scanners and medical equipment, tubes and large compressed tanks of who knew what. An extra long table sat bolted into the floor, surrounded by lights and reminding him of a morgue.

More importantly: The room had Lewis. Zane pressed himself back against the wall, knowing he stuck out like a sore thumb up on the balcony that overlooked the entire space, and did everything in his power to not breathe too loudly.

Lewis was there all right, his arms bound behind him as he was shoved through the room. Zane recognized the brute as the one that had been cussing everyone out on the dock that morning. He was none too gentle as he slammed Lewis into one of the lab benches and bent him over it. Lewis grunted but didn't say anything. Zane pulled it together and moved as quietly as he could to the stairs, praying that no one would notice him.

"That stunt you pulled this morning?" the man over Lewis hissed. "That was the last one, you understand?"

"Screw you," Lewis snarled, his voice raspy but strong and Zane almost tripped as he tried to watch them and where he was sneaking at the same time.

"For such a smart guy you can be a real idiot!" The guy declared and, while Zane didn't care for the asshole _at all_, he couldn't argue the truth of that particular statement. Lewis just laughed humourlessly.

"What are you going to do? Lock me up?" Zane crept down the stairs, and froze when the man moved, wrenching Lewis up and then marching him a few steps to slam him face-first into the glass tank. Lewis was struggling, but it was clear that he was at a disadvantage as the man, who was built like a brick house, used his entire body to crush his friend into the tank.

Lewis's breath misted the glass, baring his teeth angrily as he fought to gain some kind of purchase.

"Oh, I'm gonna do a _lot_ more than that."

Zane had reached the main floor, and his vision tinged red.

It only took a few long steps to reach them, where he pressed his gun to the back of the man's head, and cocked it. It made an impression as the man froze.

"Get off him," Zane suggested quietly and not at all pleasantly.

"Okay," the man agreed instantly. "Easy now, I'm letting him go." He brought his hands up and then carefully moved away. Zane stepped back with him, giving himself a bit more space between them.

"On your knees, hands over your head." He barked, not letting the man turn around and waited until the guy had complied. His hand was shaking, the nozzle of the weapon twitching back and forth. He'd never held a weapon on anyone before. Never even really thought about it since he'd decided he wouldn't become an officer. It was powerful, and scary as sin. He huffed a breath out, feeling the bandana over his mouth flutter.

"Lewis," he said calmly, and properly laid eyes on his friend for the first time in months. "You should have told me where you were going, I would have picked you up sooner."

Lewis's bloodshot eyes were wide with shock under his floppy, too long bangs. He was still breathing heavily from his struggle, his pale green scrub shirt rising and falling, his pants hanging a little lower then Zane felt was appropriate. He refused to think on that, needing to keep his head in the game for now. Which translated into: he didn't want to have to beat the shit out of the guy on the ground in blind anger.

"It wasn't exactly a planned vacation, and this resort has a 'no telephone' policy." Lewis came back with, a tad too slow and lacking the sarcasm such words required, but at least he was trying. His voice was a bit hoarse.

Zane wasn't sure he believed this wasn't a 'planned' vacation, but he was more then willing to play it Lewis's way. So long as they got out of this nightmare.

"Well, then I suppose it was a lucky thing I was in the area. What's got your hands locked?" Lewis turned to show him a pair of padded cuffs wrapped snugly around his wrists.

"The keys are in his back left pocket," Lewis nodded to the guy on the floor and Zane had him fish them out slowly, and toss them in his direction.

"Do you really think we'll just let you waltz out of here?" the man on the ground snorted derisively at them. "Even if you make it past the front doors, Lewis, then what? You're going to swim on your merry way through the ocean? Go back to living a normal life? Go to school? Haven't you learned yet that you belong to us? You belong to me!"

Zane picked the keys up and moved to Lewis, quickly removing the cuffs and forcing himself to ignore the deep bruising around both his wrists.

"You hurt?" Zane asked quietly, trying to assess Lewis and keep an eye on his prisoner. He wanted to squeeze his shoulder, maybe give the guy a comforting hug because he seriously looked like he needed it. They both ignored the guy on the ground.

"Nah, I'm good." Lewis was still looking at him as if he didn't quite believe Zane was there. Zane wasn't sure he could trust Lewis to answer him truthfully, not anymore, but right now he didn't have much choice but to agree. He would check him out properly later, when he was safe.

"Then let's get out of here," he suggested. He looked around the large room, taking in the massive tank, the pool in the ground, the stainless steel and computers. It made his skin crawl.

"Gladly. Right after I blow it up," Lewis agreed, his tone light. Light enough, in fact, that it actually took a second for his words to properly register.

"You can't do that!" The man on the ground jumped to his feet and spun around in rage. Zane retrained his weapon on him, and fortunately he didn't move further from his spot, but he glared angrily at Lewis.

"Watch me," Lewis stared him down, and there wasn't a hint of emotion in his tone. Zane looked at the long metal table bolted to the floor in the centre of the room. The one that reminded him of a morgue. It had examination lights hanging over it, and restraints permanently attached.

"There's a bunch of oxygen tanks in the corner," Zane pointed out, trying to sound casual about it.

"And there's more in the side room there," Lewis nodded to a door, before turning back to the man standing before them. His face had gone a scary shade of red. Lewis dangled the cuffs that had been on his wrists only minutes before. "Hold out your wrists."

"Months of research Lewis! How can you even consider destroying all of that?" the man's tone turned pleading as Lewis cuffed him.

"Very easily," Lewis responded, and then delivered a devastating upper-cut. The man's jaw snapped shut and he staggered. Blood began to dribble from his mouth, no doubt from biting his tongue, and the only thing that stopped him from dropping to the floor was the thick wall of the water tank as he slumped into it. Lewis stared past him into the tank, before shaking it off. "Can you watch him for a second?" He didn't wait for Zane to agree as he literally ran out of the room.

Zane pointed his gun at the guy slumped on the floor, watched as he wiped his bloody lips with his shoulder. His glare was dark, venomous. There was something not right about him.

"He belongs to me," he told Zane, and from inflection alone Zane knew he believed it.

"Yeah, he really doesn't." Zane disagreed.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded and Zane shrugged, still holding out his weapon.

"The new night custodian." He was saved from hearing his response as Lewis came rushing back into the room, two heavy looking red gas canisters in his hands.

Lewis didn't waste any time. He moved to a series of glass fridges, opening the doors and leaving them that way, before disappearing into the back room. One by one he rolled out the large oxygen tanks, placing them about the room and opening their valves. Then he began sloshing one gas canisters contents about the room, taking care to get the contents of the fridges.

"You god damned, crazy freak!" The man hollered and Lewis stiffened a moment before continuing.

"He's not the freak," Zane pointed the gun menacingly, satisfied with the fear and worry in his hostages eyes. He would have loved to shoot him. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) that wasn't an option. Lewis disappeared with the second gas can, coming back a few minutes later empty handed.

Oxygen hissed throughout the room.

"Ready?" Zane asked and Lewis nodded.

"I lit a Bunsen burner in the next room over. We really don't want to be here when it goes off."

They made it all the way to the front lobby, the glass doors to freedom in sight before it all went sour in a fantastically horrible way.

The arrow that lodged itself in Zane's arm made an impression and, right after the near blinding pain registered his hand went numb. The gun fell from his fingers, skirting across the floor and he turned to go after it only to watch it be scooped up by Denman. The woman tossed her small water crossbow to the side and levelled the weapon at his head. He would have laughed if his arm didn't hurt so damn much.

They froze, and the man Lewis had cuffed moved forward and took the key from him. After he had freed himself he very pointedly approached Lewis, moving behind him and slipping a restraining arm around his neck.

Lewis looked…Zane couldn't even describe the emotions crossing his friends face, didn't want to describe them so he turned back to Denman, who was glaring heatedly at him.

"He doesn't belong to you," she stated softly, trying to stare Zane down. She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder.

"No," Zane agreed. "He doesn't."

"He belongs to _me_."

"That's not what your hired muscle over there was saying' a few minutes ago."

"Don't listen to him Linda. He's just trying to distract us." The man instantly disagreed.

"I'm aware of that Gil," she snapped, her blue eyes flashing coldly before softening again and focusing on Lewis. "I just don't understand why you want to leave us so desperately."

"Are you serious?" Zane asked when it was clear Lewis wasn't going to say anything. "You must be insane!"

"I am helping man kind here! _We_ are helping mankind!"

"You're not helping them for free though, are you?" He argued angrily, looking over his shoulder at the doors, seeing their reflections in them.

"It's all going to be a moot point in a minute or so," Lewis piped up, grunting when Gil apparently tightened his hold. Zane was terrified, felt panic flowing through him like blood, but he forced a mocking grin onto his hidden face and looked her in the eye.

"Oh that's right, time is a factor, since this place is set to explode any minute now."

"You're lying!" She lost some of her composure.

"He's not," Gil assured her, waiting for instructions. Her eyes went wide with panic and she looked back down the hallway they had just come from. "We need to get out of here!"

"We can't! All of our work is in there! Everything! Months of research…they won't give me another grant without more information on the subject! I'll have to tell them about Lewis and then they'll take him away from me!"

"Don't be an idiot Denman!" Lewis snarled at her, his back arched as Gil held him tight. "It's over!"

"It's not!" She denied, and then cold fury overcame her as she looked back at Zane. "This is your fault!"

"Sure," he agreed easily enough as she levelled the gun at him again. "You want to know something else?" He asked, swallowing thickly. He flinched when she pulled the trigger. "That's not a real gun."

He stepped towards her and ripped it out of her shocked hands, and then he belted her across the face for good measure. She went down with a cry, tears of anguish running down her cheeks. He had nothing but disgust for her. He turned back when he heard a cry behind him, to find Gil on the floor clutching at his face, blood freely pouring from beneath his hand.

Lucas stood over him, feet braced and shoulders square and black spines protruding from his arms, running up the length of his forearm and elbow. Zane balked a moment, staring at the alien sight, before coming to his senses and stepping forward. He rested a hand on Lewis's shoulder.

The guy spun around, raising his arm in warning, the finned spines flashing and Zane quickly hopped back a step, holding out his hands in surrender. One of the apparently very sharp accessories had blood on them. Lewis blinked at him, and then quickly lowered his arms.

"Sorry."

"No worries. Now can we please get out of here before this place blows?" Zane asked, very much afraid that that was going to happen any moment now. Lewis nodded, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Linda! The place is going to explode! Don't go back there!" He yelled and Zane whirled around to see her scrambling to her feet and rushing off towards the labs.

"Let's go!" Zane ordered, propelling Lewis to move and sparing a moment to make sure that Gil was following, before the three of them smashed out the doors into the rain.

He made it a full five steps before he heard Lewis curse and turned around to find him flat on his face in the mud, a massive fish tail twisting about where his legs should be. Zane ran back.

"Sorry about this Lewis," he apologized. Ignoring the pain spiking his arm he roughly hauled the guy up and over his shoulder. He made it two steps before the first explosion shook the ground. Then another.

"No!" Gil cried out behind them but Zane didn't waste anytime. He ran through the rain, and tried very hard not to think about how Lewis's massive fish form was draped clear across his front, his hand gripping the surprisingly soft scales to hold him in place. Thankfully Lewis had moved his actual fin off to the side, because it was rather massive and Zane would have been tripping over it otherwise.

It was only a matter of moments before he was ripping open the passenger door to his truck and unceremoniously flopping Lewis onto the seat. Lewis grunted. Zane didn't bother sorting him out as he ran to the driver's door. A third explosion erupted, and Zane felt a hot breeze push past him as he jumped into his truck and rammed the keys into the ignition. By that time Lewis had pulled himself all the way in and slammed the door shut.

Zane didn't waste anymore time getting them out of there: there weren't many roads leading to this place and the authorities could discover the fire any minute now. He drove like a demon, nearly ran over a wallaby, and didn't slow down until they finally hit a stretch of civilization twenty minutes later.

He looked over at Lewis and swallowed hard.

Fuck if that wasn't a profile he would never forget.

Lewis was hugging himself, head bowed forward, scrub top soaking wet and his fin stuffed awkwardly into the front. It looked painful to Zane, and he cringed. He reached into the back seat, grabbing at the small duffle he had there and pulling it up front.

"You can push the seat back as far as it will go," he suggested. Lewis blinked at him. "The space was meant for legs, and that looks incredibly uncomfortable," he decided. Lewis took a deep breath and then did as suggested. A bit of the pinched look around his eyes disappeared. Zane pushed the bag he'd dropped on the seat between them towards Lewis. "Towel and extra clothes," he said, and then politely kept his gaze on the road.

It took a few minutes before Lewis began moving, first stripping off his shirt and pulling on a dry one. He used the towel to cover his lap, and as much of his fin, as possible.

Zane swallowed thickly, wishing he still had the bandana over his face to hide his discomfort. He pointed them in the direction of home. They would be there shortly after the sun rose.

The silence in the car was heavy, but only slightly awkward. They were content to just sit there, and Zane didn't even realize that Lewis had dried off enough to get his legs back until the guy was shimmying into a pair of sweats.

His arm was killing him, throbbing in time with the pounding in his head.

It was an hour after Zane had shoved Lewis into his cab before the guy looked over at him, and then raised an eyebrow.

"You brought a water gun to rescue me?" He commented and Zane shrugged. For a water gun it was scarily real looking, with all the bells and whistles and a nice lack of bullets.

"Relax, it wasn't loaded." Lewis breathed out an incredulous laugh, and Zane laughed with him. They didn't stop for several minutes, and if parts of it were slightly hysterical Zane doubted they would ever talk about it. Lewis rubbed a hand through his hair, and leaned back in his seat.

"I can honestly say I never thought I would be so glad to see your smarmy face," Lewis sighed.

"Missed you too cupcake," Zane grinned, meaning it more then he'd meant most things in his life. Lewis looked over at him, the tired grin on his face illuminated by a passing car, and then the grin fell.

"Shit," he shifted in his seat, "I forgot you were hurt! I am so sorry!" He gushed and Zane shrugged it off, because yeah it hurt, and the sensation of half dried and still trickling blood was not pleasant, but it was not a problem.

"No reason to apologize, unless it was you who shot me," he flashed a quick grin and saw that Lewis wasn't at all appeased. It looked like four months of hell hadn't dampened his protective streak any.

"Pull over; it needs to be taken care of." Zane did as ordered, because he had a feeling that Lewis wouldn't let up about the issue and he was feeling slightly light headed. He hissed as the material of his hoodie was carefully cut away and Lewis hummed and hawed at the wound. "It's not so bad," he decided and Zane snorted at the lie.

"I have an arrow sticking out of my arm," he pointed out.

"Really? I must have missed that fact with all the blood getting in the way."

Zane swallowed and looked pointedly out the front windshield.

"We should get you to a hospital," Lewis decided, and Zane immediately shook his head. They were too close to the 'crime' scene, and hospital records would pinpoint his location should anyone decide to connect him to Denman. Lewis seemed to understand that and sighed softly. "Then I need to remove the bolt."

It was agreed. Zane bit the straps of his bag, and failed miserably in being the strong and silent type. He also passed out, which he realized only after he woke up to Lewis shaking his shoulder.

The injured shoulder.

Funny thing was that there was no pain. He frowned and looked over at his friend. The guy was pale and shaking.

"Where did you find drugs?" he asked, blinking slowly and when Lewis merely smiled and leaned back in his seat he frowned even more. He looked at his arm wearily, and grimaced at all the blood. It took him an embarrassingly long moment to realize that there was no longer a hole for the blood to be coming from.

He bolted upright in his seat, shoving roughly at the flopping material of the sweatshirt until just taking it off all together. There was absolutely no pain. He looked accusingly at Lewis.

"What did you do?" Lewis shrugged. "Lewis? I need to know!" He tried to make it a demand, but it came out more pleading then anything else and Lewis opened tired eyes and turned to him again, a sad smile gracing his lips.

"I found my gift." His gift? Zane stared at him angrily and Lewis huffed as though he were a particularly dimwitted friend. "My _gift_" he enunciated. "Apparently I can heal things."

Zane stared at him.

"Huh." He was exhausted, and he could tell Lewis was about ten times more exhausted, even though he managed a snort at his reaction. "Did it…hurt you?"

"No, just made me tired. Mind buggerin off while I catch a few winks," he demanded, finally having enough and Zane nodded silently. He pulled back onto the highway, rain still pelting at the windshield, wipers on full, and when he heard Lewis snort lightly in his sleep he finally relaxed.

"Idiot," he muttered under his breath, casting a glance at the guy and wondering how the hell he was going to get him through this.

The drive home gave him plenty of time to ponder.


	10. Chapter 10

It had still been raining when Zane finally pulled up to his house; fortunately he had a covered parking area. It took no time at all to rouse Lewis from his sleep and get him inside. Zane didn't waste time setting up the pullout couch. Instead he prodded his slightly dazed friend through the main floor and up the stairs to his own room and unceremoniously shoved him into his still unmade bed.

Lewis didn't complain, he just snuggled down pulling the blankets over himself like a shield and passed out again.

Zane spent a long moment staring at his friends one exposed wrist, noting the colours wrapping around it like a rainbow bracelet. He filled a glass of water and left it by the bed, pulled the blinds so the murky greyness outside wouldn't bother him, and left him to sleep.

It took over an hour of scrubbing to get the blood out of his truck. He burned all the clothing he had worn that day, as well as Lewis's pale green scrubs and all the other evidence he could find, with a hefty does of lighter fluid in a trash can on his back porch. He watched over it the whole time, making sure not a single shred was left before carrying the hot container to the ocean and dumping the ashes in the water. Rinse and repeat.

He checked on Lewis, glad the guy was still sleeping, and made a couple of phone calls.

His dad had connections. He would use them to make it seem as though Lewis McCartney had left the country that morning. It would be tricky, but he could make it work. Most likely he would send him to North America, or maybe Europe, either way if anyone decided to search for Lewis (namely Gil) the paper trail would hopefully lead him to the wrong place.

He watched the news with an excessively large cup of coffee, seeing aerial view shots of the destruction of the lab once the rain had let up. Apparently the weather front had followed Lewis and Zane home.

He couldn't say he was sad to discover that a body had been found in the middle of what was currently being classified as an 'accident.' They were uncertain of the identity.

In the middle of the afternoon Lewis dragged himself downstairs, not looking any better than he had when Zane had tipped him into bed.

He seemed awkward, looking around as though he were uncertain about what to do. He was ridiculously pale, exhausted bruises sat under his bloodshot eyes, his shoulders slumped, and his hair needed a good cleaning.

A red smear travelled up his left cheek, no doubt from where Gil had smashed him into the glass wall. Zane's grip tightened on his mug.

"Coffee?" he asked, trying for casual, and Lewis relaxed slightly and went to help himself. His eyes drifted to the massive TV in the living room.

"Glad that didn't turn into a forest blaze." He commented and Zane agreed. He watched his friend tiredly make toast, glad to see that he was eating something, and refrained from asking him any questions. They could wait, and from the grateful look Lewis tossed him the guy was well aware that the conversation was coming and very happy to postpone it for as long as possible.

Which wasn't that long, apparently, when Lewis took a deep breath and looked pointedly at Zane only five minutes later.

"How did you find me?" He asked and Zane shrugged.

"Followed the clues."

"Clues?" Lewis blinked at him, frown covering his face as he rubbed tiredly at his forehead. "I didn't leave any clues."

Bingo. Lewis had just confirmed that he had, in fact, done everything on purpose. Being right, however, only made Zane feel nauseous as he watched his friend frown.

"Not on purpose you didn't." Zane agreed. "But so long as someone was willing to look, and that someone had the right connections, they could put the pieces together and come to the conclusion that yer a right _idiot_." He didn't have the energy to sound angry, but he could sound upset and Lewis looked at him sharply. Zane didn't back down.

"I suppose you know why I did what I did," Lewis hedged, and turned his back on Zane to refill his coffee mug.

"I do. Doesn't mean I agree with it."

"Doesn't really matter whether you did or didn't." Lewis turned back and sat on the barstool. Zane wanted to hit something, namely Lewis, but he settled for running his hands through his hair. He was waaaay to young to feel this damn old. "I didn't-" Lewis started and paused and Zane dropped his hands to look across the breakfast bar at him. Lewis took a deep breath. "I had hoped to not get caught," he admitted, shrugging self-consciously and Zane shook his head in exasperation.

"So you planned on letting Denman and her gang in on your newest secret and then you were going to spend the rest of your life leading them on a merry chase away from the girls?"

"That was the hopeful outcome."

"Christ Lewis! Of all the…the…ridiculous! Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?" He couldn't help the accusation in his tone, and his ire rose when Lewis just shrugged.

"I couldn't risk you telling the girls. I couldn't risk them letting their secret be known to Denman."

"But you could give yourself over, eh? You're not worth as much as them, is that it?" He glared at Lewis and Lewis looked up sharply at that, a spark of heated emotion finally entering his eyes, chasing away the blankness.

"Of course I'm worth as much as them! This wasn't some misdirected self-worth exercise Zane! I made a promise to them that I would keep them safe! Even if they weren't going to take precautions against it themselves! Denman was so much closer then any of you realized, and she was _not_ going to let up. Ever. And if a little self-sacrifice kept them safe, then I am more then willing to do that."

"Because they're family."

"Because you're all my family!" He snapped, and then his cheeks flamed red in embarrassment from the outburst, but he didn't break eye contact. "You're the best I have and I protect what I have."

"Well then I guess I'm going to be protecting your sorry arse from now on," Zane decided with a nod, and then went to make his own toast as Lewis blinked at him.

"What? No, that's not your job. You don't have to do anything of the sort!"

"Of course I do. Look, it's simple," Zane explained, waving the bread around. "You protect the girls, and therefore I'll protect you. It's a win-win situation, that way I know the lot of you are safe." He reached out and gave Lewis a meaningful pat on the shoulder, and they both ignored how the man flinched. He didn't pull away though and for that, at least, Zane was grateful. "Besides," Zane continued, thinking out loud. "I need a right hand man for my new business; a 'sidekick' if you will." At that Lewis raised his eyebrow incredulously.

"_Me_ be _your _sidekick? As far as I know I'm the one with the super powers in this relationship, which means that by default you'd be _my_ sidekick."

"In your dreams," Zane snorted as he buttered his toast.

"What business is this then?"

"Private Investigator," Zane answered around a mouth full of bread. He grinned as Lewis looked puzzled.

"Weren't you going into the academy? You had plans for a badge did you not?"

"Plans change," Zane shrugged. "I'll tell you about my dislike for authority figures later."

"No need," Lewis huffed. "I'm well aware of that personality trait. You didn't-" he paused, suddenly looking extremely uncomfortable. "You didn't quit to look for me did you?"

"No," Zane instantly and firmly answered, not needing the guy to take on guilt that wasn't owed. "No I did not, but it did take me until I quit to realize that you were missing." Lewis looked away at that. "I'm sorry. It shouldn't have gone down like that."

"It is not your fault at all," Lewis looked back at him sharply. "I made my own decisions and I acted accordingly. I didn't expect anyone to look for me."

"Well, I believe I've already called you an idiot today," Zane shrugged, trying for nonchalance and feeling anything but. "Besides, I've always wanted to break into a secret lab, hold bad guys hostage, and then blow it up. Very James Bond."

"About that-"

"We couldn't leave any evidence, I understand," Zane cut Lewis off but watched him steadily. He waited until Lewis nodded his agreement, and the darkness in his eyes receded a little.

"Right. The evidence needed to be destroyed, that's why we blew it up," he agreed.

"Denman didn't make it out," Zane said, looking back at the TV that was, again, showing the mornings footage of the explosion, zooming in on the dolphins swimming in their ocean pen. Lewis nodded, and his shoulders slumped a little more in what Zane was interpreting as relief.

Zane felt tenser for it. Lewis was an honest, caring, genuine guy. Pretty much the only one Zane thought he knew, and if he was glad for Denman's death than Zane didn't want to think about what his life in that lab had been like.

"So tell me about your little elbow thing there," he gestured at Lewis's elbow and the guy looked down reflexively. "That is not normal mermaid behaviour," he announced, and smirked when Lewis glared at him.

"Mer_man_ behaviour thank you very much." He pointed out with no room for argument, and then sighed as Zane kept grinning.

"Whatever. Point being that you got those little fish…thingies to pop out without water. That ain't normal mate."

"Not for the girls," Lewis readily agreed. He looked at Zane, and then at his elbow, before sighing and holding one up. Like magic the fin spiked out of his forearm and travelled up well past the back of his elbow. When he flared the webbing Zane could see that it was a mixed colour of deep blues and streaking silver. He stopped chewing his toast.

"The girls don't even have those," he pointed out, trying to keep it normal.

"No they don't. They're not normal though. One minute they're just fins, and then the next they're as sharp as knives and hard like crystal."

"Well then keep them away from my counter top. That's genuine marble you know," Zane glared at the possibly table-top damaging fins took a deep drink of his tea as Lewis actually smiled for the first time since he'd found him. "You must be some kind of warrior fish then. Maybe I'll start calling you Sharkie."

"Please don't." Lewis grimaced.

"So you can heal people and you have knives that can spontaneously pop out of your elbows. You know what that means don't you?"

"No," Lewis replied, looking at him suddenly wearily.

"It means no water bed for you my friend. They're expensive enough in-" he was cut off by a sharp knocking on the front door. Lewis's entire body literally jerked at that and his fins disappeared instantly. He was suddenly even paler then he had been before. Zane frowned at the door.

"You expecting anyone?"

"No," Zane frowned, and whoever was outside was knocking again. "I'm coming!" He yelled at it and turned to Lewis. "Want to run upstairs?"

"And hide?" He scoffed at the idea, though his eyes did trail to the stairway. "I'll be good, go answer it." Zane did as requested, and then kind of wished he hadn't when he realized who it was. Suddenly he was tense all over.

"Detective Firth," he greeted calmly, noting that the man was in his plain clothes.

"Zane," he greeted, his eyes instantly looking behind Zane and narrowing when he no doubt saw Lewis standing in the kitchen's doorway. "Just coming by to check up on you. Everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah of course. Everything's just fine," he rushed out, and then forced himself to look relaxed as Firth looked back at him. "Why?"

"Mind if I come in?" the man asked again, and Zane plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Of course," he stood aside and the detective stepped over the threshold, looking around. "Nice place."

"Thanks," he responded, and then led the way to the kitchen, sharing a pleading look with Lewis to just play along as best he could. "Want a drink?"

"Nah I'm good thanks. I've just got a few questions, it won't take long." He turned and looked at Lewis, who had (rather obviously) put the breakfast island between himself and the detective. "Who's this?"

"My roommate, Lewis," he responded, and to Firth's credit he didn't look shocked to see him as he turned back to Zane. Lewis, however, let his surprise show before hiding it.

"I see you found him."

"Yeah," Zane shrugged and tried to look sheepish. "Looks like I was worried for nothing."

"Right. So Lewis, where've you been hiding all these months?"

"I was, uh, travelling," Lewis responded, not quite able to meet the detective's eyes. "You know, around."

"Sure. See anything interesting?"

"Yeah, loads." Lewis shrugged, a rather forced smile crossing his lips. Firth looked at him long and hard for a moment, and then turned back to Zane, who was glad to change the detectives focus.

"Where were you last night?"

"Me?" Zane raised his eyebrows in fake surprise. "I was with friends up in Melbourne. We both were. Didn't make it back home until after eight this morning. Why?"

"There was an explosion at a lab late last night. I'm sure you've heard of it," he nodded pointedly at the massive TV.

"Yeah, I heard about it. Terrible thing, but I'm not sure what that has to do with my whereabouts."

"It was Linda Denman's lab," he looked casually between Zane and Lewis. "After the findings on the marina's security camera, and both of your past histories, you have to admit it's a little suspicious."

"Security cameras?" Lewis asked looking between them. He stepped back when Firth shifted on his feet, putting extra space between them and it was clear to Zane that Lewis was unaware of the action. Firth, however, wasn't.

"We have footage of you entering the Marina back in September but not leaving. It's one of the reasons Zane here was worried about your 'disappearance.' Dr. Denman's boat left dock that evening."

"Right," Lewis nodded, eyes wide and innocent. "I hitched a ride with Dr. Denman up to Wadesville. I stared out on my trip from up there."

"Can anyone verify this?"

"Dr. Denman can," Lewis shrugged, and Zane was surprised at how sincere he sounded. He hadn't known Lewis could lie so easily. Then again, he had never let a thing about his family situation slip all these years, and he had no doubt had more than enough practice protecting the girls.

"Dr. Denman is dead," the detective announced, watching them both carefully. Zane was surprised he'd come right out and said it. "Her body was found in the wreckage of the labs, dental records confirmed it."

"That's terrible," Lewis decided, and if it fell a little flat Zane thought it could be misinterpreted as shock.

"Yes," Firth agreed, not sounding like he cared much either way. He looked back at Zane. "You have alibis for last night?"

"Yeah, of course," Zane moved around the counter and reached behind Lewis for some scrap paper and a pen. He quickly jotted down his friends name and number. He had no worries their alibi would hold: Nick was a good friend and he owed Zane big time. They had already arranged to have several people vouch for them being there. There had, in fact, been a party and even if only two people said they saw them, it would be enough. He handed the information to Firth, who took it with an almost amused look before turning serious again.

"Interestingly enough they found a man at the scene sporting a rather impressive cut across his face," Firth announced casually, as though he was just wanted to spread a little gossip. "Turns out he's actually wanted for several crimes, the least of which is illegally smuggling animals. He had one suspected arson notation in his file but even if we can't link the fire to him he's probably going to be seeing the inside of a cell for a few years to come." He winked at them, actually winked, which frankly made him seem much older then twenty-sixish. "Anyway, that's what they told me. Whole things out of my jurisdiction, so don't spread that around eh?"

"Yeah, no problem Detective Firth."

"Please, call me Collin." Zane raised an eyebrow but the guy just grinned. "Here's my card," he routed around in his wallet for a moment longer then necessary and handed it to Zane, seeing as Lewis was still firmly stood on the far side of the counter. "If you ever need _anything_, call me. I'm here to help." Zane followed him to the door, and watched him pile into his car and drive off.

"He seemed nice enough," Lewis declared as Zane stepped back into the kitchen, but Zane could see weariness sneaking back up on his friend again. He was way too pale.

"Yeah, for a cop," Zane shrugged. "Listen, about the girls-"

"I don't want them to know," Lewis cut him off. "Nothing."

"Don't be stupid Lewis! They need-"

"My actions, my choice. I don't want them to know, they don't need that kind of guilt hanging over them. And you know they'll feel guilty."

"It will force them to be more careful," Zane tried to argue, knowing he'd already lost this one and imagining all of the wonderful future meetings he was going to have to referee in the future.

"I could leave."

"Fine!" Zane threw his arms up, ignoring Lewis's flinch with a heavy heart. "I won't tell them, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Whatever. You'll be too busy with your new Detective Agency to worry about it anyway," Lewis quirked his lips and Zane looked at him seriously.

"Does that mean you're interested then?"

"Yeah, I am. But I'm not going to be your sidekick. Partners or nothing."

"I can live with that, though "Zane Bennet, Private Eye and his trusty sidekick Merboy" had such a nice ring to it."

"You're an asshole," Lewis announced and then trudged off towards the stairs.

"Where're you going?"

"Back to bed. I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Sweet dreams," Zane grinned until he was out of sight, and then tiredly rubbed at his own eyes. He picked up the business card Collin had given him, and then pulled out the one hidden beneath it: Dr. Jane Emmerson, trauma psychiatrist. He swallowed thickly and put it in his own wallet for safe keeping. They didn't need it right this moment, but in a few weeks, or maybe months, Zane had the feeling they would be giving her a call.

He trudged into his living room and collapsed on his couch. First things first, he was going to have to get Lewis his own bed.

After that everything would sort itself out.

END.

Well, that's it. Finally got it finished! I will most likely not be continuing this story, so sadly the meeting with the girls will have to take place in all of our imaginations. I do, however, have this universe mapped out in my mind and I feel like sharing a brief glimpse into it (in case anyone is actually interested in it). SO here it is:

-Zane and Lewis open up a detective agency, Lewis deciding to go back to school part time. Fortunately, with Zane being so freaking rich, they have a decent starting capital.

-they would eventually team up and become friends with Det. Collin Firth (don't know if Firth will learn about the Merperson thing).

-Things would be tense for a while between Lewis and the girls, but eventually it would all be sorted out

-eventually the girls would learn about Lewis's merman status

-they would also all move back to the Gold Coast, being somewhat territorial and drawn to the area

Lewis as Merguy:

-his tail would subtly change colour with his mood.

-he doesn't have any control over elements and such like the girls

-he does have the ability to heal others (but it takes a great deal of energy and if he is not careful he could end up severely hurting or killing himself by helping too much)

-He has the ability to control his change (through a LOT of practice) so that even when wet he can keep his legs. The wetter he is, the harder it is. It works vice versa as well.

-this ability will eventually extend to the girls when they are in close proximity to

him, which will lead them to believe that merMen were meant to be protectors of

mermaids

-he may develop an empathic way of communicating with animals.

So, that's as much as I'm saying. I doubt I'll ever write it (very sorry), but it might explain why I set things up the way I did.

All the best and thanks SO MUCH! For reading!


End file.
